Obama, Erdogan discuss securing Turkey-Syria border in phone cal

Once used in raids against former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the base is near to Turkey’s long border with Syria, and significantly narrows the distance to the IS stronghold of Raqqa. Turkey shares a 1,250-kilometer (775-mile) border with Syria and with Iraq, where IS also controls broad swaths of territory. The armed forces said the unit seized the weapons and fired on the attackers, killing one and destroying three Isis vehicles.

Two police were shot dead in southeast Turkey close to the Syrian border on Wednesday, in an attack claimed by the PKK’s military wing which said it wanted to avenge the Suruc bombing. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of government rules requiring authorization for comment, said the targets were two command centers and a gathering point of IS supporters.

The official said the Turkish planes did not violate Syrian airspace.

Ankara has repeatedly said it does not want to mount a unilateral incursion into Syria, but will do what is necessary to protect its border. Half of the 40,000 military personnel who guard Turkey’s borders – including with Iraq, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Greece and Bulgaria – are now on the Syrian frontier.

The clashes were the latest in a wave of violence that followed Monday’s suspected Islamic State suicide bombing. “As we see Islamic State as a danger, we will start security work especially targeting them”.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said a soldier was killed after shots were fired from across the border in Syria into the southern province of Kilis, with Turkey responding by pounding militant positions with artillery.

A day after the fatal shooting of two police claimed by Kurdish militants as “revenge” for the Suruc suicide bombing, a policeman was killed in the majority Kurdish city of Diyarbakir.

The Suruc bombing inflamed tensions with Turkey’s Kurdish minority, which is unhappy over the lack of support provided by the government to Kurdish militias fighting the jihadists and accuses Ankara of backing IS. The White House declined to confirm the agreement, citing operational security concerns, but White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama and Erdogan had discussed efforts to fight IS during their phone call Wednesday. In Van, near the Iranian border, militants set fire to trucks and opened fire on troops, the military said in a statement.