Turkey considering cross-border military action in Syria

Turkey was widely reported to be considering cross-border military operations in Syria amid recent Kurdish victories in border areas.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was quoted as saying on Sunday the country was prepared for any security threats along its borders. That followed a series of tweets by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday that Ankara would “not shut our eyes against the terror organizations’ efforts to change the chaos in the region into an opportunity.”

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the “necessary announcements” would be made following a meeting of the country’s National Security Council on Monday, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

The sabre rattling comes after Syrian Kurdish forces took back Kobani near the Turkish border, evicting Islamic State (IS) fighters who had seized the town. Kurdish fighters have scored a series of victories over IS in recent weeks, sparking concern in Ankara they might try to create an autonomous Kurdish state and embolden Turkey’s own 14 million Kurds.

Pro-government newspapers contained several purported proposals of what a military intervention might look like – ranging from loosening the rules of engagement to give Turkish troops a freer hand to fire into Syria, to a tanks-and-troops invasion aimed at occupying a buffer zone 110km long and 33km wide, the Associated Press reported.

However, analysts suggested that – with Turkey likely headed for a coalition government – any intervention would be limited, the AP said.

Assad may unleash chemical weapons attack: WSJ report

U.S. officials were quoted as telling the Wall Street Journal that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may soon release a large-scale chemical weapons attack.

The newspaper on Sunday quoted U.S. officials as saying U.S. intelligence agencies have been focused on analyzing the type of chemical that could be deployed and what could trigger its use.

The officials suspect the Assad government has created chemical bombs with chlorine gas and also may have the supplies to create weapons with nerve agent sarin, according to the exclusive report.

Assad agreed to turn over his chemical arsenal in the face of international pressure and threats of U.S. airstrikes in retaliation for a deadly sarin gas attack in 2013 on his own people.

Assad’s chemical weapons had been believed eliminated when stockpiles were destroyed last August, but there have been widespread credible reports since then of his force using chlorine gas weapons.

Putin holds surprise meeting with Syrian FM, urges battle against IS

Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged his support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and urged all Middle East nations to join the fight against the Islamic State.

The pledge came in a surprise meeting on Monday with the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem at the Kremlin, said the Associated Press. Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying Russia’s “policy to support Syria, the Syrian leadership and the Syrian people remains unchanged.”

Putin added that Moscow had been in touch with countries across the region, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and that “everyone wants to contribute to fight this evil,” referring to the Islamic radicals. All nations, he said, should “pool their efforts together” to fight IS.

Russia has been a stalwart supporter of Assad.

Recommended Reads

• The Independent: Isis, a year of the caliphate: How powerful is the ‘Islamic State’ and what threat does it really pose to West?
• The Guardian: Samar Yazbek: ‘Syria has been hung, drawn and quartered’
• Middle East Monitor: An alternative project for Muslim youth could finish ISIS off
• Today’s Zaman: Turkey’s desperate Syria policy