******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ********************
#1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
#2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived.
#3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern.
*****************************************************************
Like a rope supports a hanging man...
WSJ, May 10, 2016
Turkey’s Elite Force Stages Raid Against Islamic State Fighters in Syria
Operation is part of a bid to push IS away from a vital 60-mile stretch
of the Turkey-Syria border
By DION NISSENBAUM
ISTANBUL—Turkey’s special military force carried out an unusual weekend
operation against Islamic State fighters in Syria as part of an
increasingly risky campaign against the extremist group, U.S. officials
said Tuesday.
A small group of elite Turkish soldiers entered Syria on Saturday to
help more effectively target Islamic State fighters that have been
launching rocket attacks into Turkey for weeks, American officials said.
The operation is part of an evolving effort by the Turkish military to
push Islamic State away from a vital 60-mile stretch of the Turkey-Syria
border that serves as the group’s main lifeline.
Turkish officials didn't respond to requests for comment about the
military operation. American officials said that Turkey informed the
U.S.-led military coalition about the move.
The military strike came as Turkey faces increasing domestic pressure to
bring a halt to Islamic State rocket attacks targeting the Turkish
border town of Kilis, where at least 20 people have been killed this
year by strikes from Syria.
Turkey and the U.S. have been working with Syrian rebels for weeks in an
effort to push Islamic State away from the border and close off the
militant group’s vital routes through Turkey used to send fighters to
carry out attacks in Europe and ferry in reinforcements.
Islamic State has responded to the Turkey-U.S. operation by stepping up
its rocket attacks on Kilis, the Turkish town nominated this year for a
Nobel Peace Prize for accepting so many Syrian refugees.
Turkish artillery units along the border have so far failed to
effectively respond to the Islamic State threat. The U.S. military is
preparing to send an advanced rocket system to the Turkey-Syria border
to help. But the Islamic State attacks continue to hit Kilis nearly
every day.
Turkish military operations in Syria risk antagonizing President Bashar
al-Assad and Russia, which is providing the Syrian leader with vital
military support.
Last year, Turkey sent hundreds of troops into Syria to rescue dozens of
Turkish soldiers guarding a historic Ottoman tomb that was at risk of
being seized by Islamic State.
_________________________________________________________
Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm
Set your options at:
http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
