Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that his armed forces are readying to “clear” the frontier on the Syrian side of the border, following back-and-forth fire with Islamic State terrorists. Erdogan made the announcement on Thursday, alluding to “difficulties in Kilis,” a town that straddles the southern border with a volatile zone in Syria currently controlled by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). He said that Turkish forces are “making necessary preparations” to take action.
The terrorist group has been using the area to launch rockets at the Turks, with Erdogan complaining that the allies aren’t helping, and that Ankara is ready to act alone. Possibly hinting at the United States, which has a large base on Turkish soil, the president said: “the allies, especially those with powerful weapons in the region, are not able to provide the support we desire,” as reported by Turkish media. Kilis, which hosts a large number of Syrian refugees, has been caught in cross-border shelling on several occasions during the conflict. READ MORE
