Not long ago, Turkey sent tanks and troops across the border to fight ISIS. This force was accompanied by Syrian Sunni rebels who are backed by the Turks. They ousted ISIS from Jarabulus, one of the last border crossings between Turkey and Syria that were held by ISIS. Today, the Turnks sent a second armored force across the border. This time the attack came about 30 miles west of the first crossing. If the Turks join their two forces, they will drive ISIS out of the last area of the border it controls. Since most ISIS recruits come to Syria across this border, the Turkish move is very significant.
The Turks, of course, are not just interested in ISIS. They want to stop the Kurdish forces from gaining control of the area. The Kurdish peshmerga has taken control of the eastern half of the Turkish/Syrian border; they won the area by expelling the ISIS forces that had controlled it. Turkey calls the Kurds "terrorists" and has sent its planes to bomb Kurdish positions on occasion. Meanwhile, the USA has supported the Kurds in their battle against ISIS, and American planes have bombed ISIS forces facing the Kurds. There are even US special forces embedded with the Kurds in order to provide assistance. Because of this, it seems unlikely that we will see an all out attack by the Turks against the Kurds, but one never knows in the Middle East.
Today's new attack has gotten almost no coverage in the US media. It is a major new twist in the fight against ISIS and the prospects for there ever being peace in Syria. That's why the US media would rather cover important stuff like the socks worn by Colin Kaepernick.
The Turks, of course, are not just interested in ISIS. They want to stop the Kurdish forces from gaining control of the area. The Kurdish peshmerga has taken control of the eastern half of the Turkish/Syrian border; they won the area by expelling the ISIS forces that had controlled it. Turkey calls the Kurds "terrorists" and has sent its planes to bomb Kurdish positions on occasion. Meanwhile, the USA has supported the Kurds in their battle against ISIS, and American planes have bombed ISIS forces facing the Kurds. There are even US special forces embedded with the Kurds in order to provide assistance. Because of this, it seems unlikely that we will see an all out attack by the Turks against the Kurds, but one never knows in the Middle East.
Today's new attack has gotten almost no coverage in the US media. It is a major new twist in the fight against ISIS and the prospects for there ever being peace in Syria. That's why the US media would rather cover important stuff like the socks worn by Colin Kaepernick.
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