ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Despite Turkish warnings against helping Syrian Kurds, the United States-led coalition fighter jets have been flying from Turkey's Incirlik Air Base to give air support to the Kurdish-majority force in their offensive against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Raqqa province.
The fighter jets have been using laser-guided bombs to hit ISIS positions while A-10 attack planes have hit the group’s armored vehicles. The number of aircraft participating remains unclear several sorties out of the air base are believed to have been carried out.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a new alliance of anti-ISIS forces, most of them members of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG).
The SDF launched its offensive against ISIS in Raqqa province this week and many areas have been liberated from the extremist group, new reports however suggest that the goal is not Raqqa city itself but its surrounding areas.
Turkey has long been opposed to US support for the Syrian Kurds invariably arguing they are no different from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
Ankara denied the coalition use of the Incirlik air base for counter-ISIS operations until July 2015, nearly an entire year after the international air campaign had begun.
This latest coalition air support for the SDF around Raqqa comes after Turkey's Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Yasar Guler, told the head of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), General Joseph Votel, on Monday that the Syrian Kurds were an unreliable ally in the fight against ISIS.
"Do not be surprised if the YPG lets you down when the fight against ISIS gets tough," Guler said.
Guler also said the Turks want more support to push ISIS from Syria's northwestern border, an area from where they have staged rocket attacks against the Turkish town of Kilis since January, killing a total of 23 people.
The fighter jets have been using laser-guided bombs to hit ISIS positions while A-10 attack planes have hit the group’s armored vehicles. The number of aircraft participating remains unclear several sorties out of the air base are believed to have been carried out.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a new alliance of anti-ISIS forces, most of them members of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG).
The SDF launched its offensive against ISIS in Raqqa province this week and many areas have been liberated from the extremist group, new reports however suggest that the goal is not Raqqa city itself but its surrounding areas.
Turkey has long been opposed to US support for the Syrian Kurds invariably arguing they are no different from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
Ankara denied the coalition use of the Incirlik air base for counter-ISIS operations until July 2015, nearly an entire year after the international air campaign had begun.
This latest coalition air support for the SDF around Raqqa comes after Turkey's Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Yasar Guler, told the head of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), General Joseph Votel, on Monday that the Syrian Kurds were an unreliable ally in the fight against ISIS.
"Do not be surprised if the YPG lets you down when the fight against ISIS gets tough," Guler said.
Guler also said the Turks want more support to push ISIS from Syria's northwestern border, an area from where they have staged rocket attacks against the Turkish town of Kilis since January, killing a total of 23 people.
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