US, Turkey begin operation to seal off Syrian border

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that Washington and Ankara are starting a joint operation to close off the entire Turkish-Syrian border, in a bid to mount pressure on Islamists in Iraq and Syria.

"The entire border of northern Syria - 75 percent of it has now been shut off. And we are entering an operation with the Turks to shut off the other remaining 98 kilometers," Kerry said in an interview with CNN.

The joint operation is aimed at increasing pressure on ISIS in Iraq and Syria by preventing the smuggling of fighters, arms and other goods across the border, Kerry said, without indicating whether US combat troops would take part in the operation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu said at a conference in Erbil early this month that Turkey was planning on acting against ISIS on its border with Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during the closing of the G20 Summit in Turkey on Monday that the meeting had taken a “strong position” against terrorism.

Despite Erdogan’s comments, NATO ally Turkey has been identified as the main conduit for jihadis getting into Syria to fight alongside the Islamic State, and the main route for oil and other goods traveling and out of ISIS-held territories.

Earlier Monday in Turkey, Russian President Vladimir Putin told world leaders that 40 countries around the world are financing ISIS, including some that are part of the G20.