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Turkey conducts first joint air strikes as part of coalition against ISIL

Turkey conducts first joint air strikes as part of coalition against ISIL

A Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet lands at İncirlik air base in Adana on Aug. 11. (Photo: Reuters)

August 29, 2015, Saturday/ 16:16:27/ TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH AP / ANKARA

Turkey conducted its first joint air strikes as part of the US-led coalition against radical terrorist Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets in Syria over the weekend.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that Turkish military aircraft had started bombing ISIL targets late on Friday.

“Our fighter aircraft, along with coalition fighter jets, began carrying out joint air operations as of yesterday (Friday) evening against ISIL targets in Syria that also present a threat to our national security,” said the ministry on Saturday.

After months of hesitance, Turkey agreed to be part of the military campaign against ISIL, as well as granting expanded access to the US-led coalition forces to İncirlik Air Base, a pivotal tactical spot from which to launch fighter jets. The US and Turkey finalized the agreement on Aug. 24.

“Countering terrorist organizations is a national security issue of priority for Turkey. Our efforts to combat terrorism will continue resolutely,” the ministry said. It also stressed that Turkey classified ISIL as a terrorist organization back in 2013 and will fight against ISIL along with the coalition, with a strong determination. The statement did not provide further detail on the targets or say how many jets were involved.

The Turkish press reported that two Turkish aircraft on Friday and two other Turkish planes on Saturday hit a total of seven targets in Aleppo. The Turkish F-16 fighter jets carried out their missions from İncirlik Air Base. The US has nearly 30 military aircraft as well as four predators at İncirlik.

The US Embassy in Ankara also announced the Turkish participation in the air strikes against ISIL on Twitter. “Last night Turkish Air Forces joined coordinated Coalition airstrikes against ISIL terrorists,” wrote the embassy. It also added that Turkish participation in coalition air strikes strengthens the US-led campaign's capacity to degrade and defeat the “common enemy,” ISIL.

The Milliyet daily reported on Sunday that Turkey's air strikes on ISIL aim to pave the way for the establishment of a safe zone in northern Syria. If the area is cleared of ISIL, moderate Syrian opposition forces will be sent to that safe zone and some of the Syrian refugees in Turkey will also be send back to the area.

Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said on Thursday that Turkey would start bombing ISIL in Iraq and Syria “very soon,” following an agreement recently reached between the US and Turkey on cooperating in the fight against ISIL. He said that bombing campaigns would take place after details were finalized on the so-called Air Tasking Order (ATO), which will coordinate targeting. The agreement between the US and Turkey, which allows the US to use İncirlik Air Base in Turkey's Adana province near the Syrian border for air strikes against ISIL, also calls on Turkey to join the air strikes campaign. The negotiations between the US and Turkey lasted nearly a year.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency, reporting from Aleppo and citing unnamed local sources, said the coalition forces have raided ISIL targets in the ISIL-held town of Manbij in Aleppo province. It said the raids destroyed ISIL positions but said there was no information on any casualties.

On Thursday, ISIL militants seized five villages from rebel groups in northern Syria as they advanced towards the strategic town of Marea near the Turkish border. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and other groups said ISIL carried out a suicide bombing on the outskirts of Marea amid fierce fighting in the area.

The ISIL advance was in the northern Aleppo province near where Turkey and the US have been discussing the possibility of establishing an ISIL-free safe zone. In Washington, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said the Turkish air strikes were "fully integrated" into the coalition campaign.

"We commend Turkey for its participation in counter-ISIL air operations alongside other coalition nations in the international campaign to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL," Cook said.

Turkey's deeper involvement in the coalition came after a suicide bombing in July, blamed on ISIL, killed 34 people in the Turkish border town of Suruç in Şanlıurfa province near Syria, and an attack on Turkish troops guarding the border, which killed one soldier. Turkey's U-turn on ISIL and decision to finally grant access to İncirlik Air Base has been seen as a result of domestic political calculations rather than reshaping its Syria policy, due to Turkey launching air strikes against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq almost immediately after hitting ISIL targets in Syria. Critics argue that Turkey has been using the air strikes against the PKK to create hostile sentiment against Kurds in Turkey before the snap general election to be held on Nov. 1.

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