CNN Turk: Turkish official says Turkey, US agree to Syria ‘safe zone

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey will open other bases for Coalition operations against the Islamic State.

Under the strategy, moderate Syrian rebels, trained by the U.S. army, will fight the Islamic militant group on the ground and help co-ordinate air strikes by the U.S. coalition, launched from Turkish air bases.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Assad’s regime had not so far hampered U.S.-backed forces, but he nonetheless raised the possibility of strikes against it should the need arise.

The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU.

The statement suggested the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham was looking to become a key player on the ground that could work with the United States and Turkey to carve out such an IS-free zone.

“No manned and unmanned aircrafts using the Incirlik Air Base participated in yesterday’s air operation carried out by the coalition forces”, said the ministry.

The directive, which was published online on Monday, said the Nusra Front would refrain from fighting Isis in a swath of northern Syria in order to avoid indirectly aiding the US-led campaign against the terror group. The airstrikes cost $3.5 billion dollars from August 8, 2014, to July 31, according to website of U.S. Defense Department.

But there have been no Turkish strikes on the group since then, American officials said.

Other rebel groups are against working with the U.S. and Turkey altogether because they do not believe in the mission. “Our folks are very eager to put it to the test”. It also would not comment on the status of the U.S.-trained fighters. There was no U.S. military response.

“The PKK is a bigger threat to us, as it is active within the country“, a second Turkish official said.

“Our understanding with Turkey is that they will not attack, and we would not agree to that”. “ISIS is more active in Syria, and is therefore less urgent now”.

Turkish officials have indicated a major priority will be the establishment of a safe zone inside Syria free of Isis jihadists where some of the 1.8 million Syrian refugees Turkey is hosting could be housed.

Meanwhile, Turkish planes are unilaterally hitting PKK bases near the border with Turkey.

Turkey is meanwhile distrustful of the Syrian-Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) militia, which has proved a useful US ally in fighting ISIS, and which controls adjacent territory.

The shift follows months of wrangling between the two North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies over the strategy for dealing with Islamic State.

The safe zone would have “positive effects, from the humanitarian, military, and political perspectives that will serve the interests of both countries”, the group’s online statement said.

The authorities on Tuesday announced the arrests of 23 foreign nationals – from China, Indonesia, Russian Federation and Ukraine – who were trying to cross into Syria to join IS via the southeastern border town of Kilis.