Turkish-US deal may have far-reaching effects

At a Pentagon briefing, Davis said that Defense Secretary Ashton Carter was reviewing the options that came with Turkey’s surprise announcement last week permitting the U.S.to use the Air Force base at Incirlik, Turkey, for strikes against ISIS in Syria, but decisions were weeks away.

While many details have yet to be determined, including how deep the strip would extend into Syria, the plan would significantly intensify U.S. and Turkish military action against Islamic State militants in the country, as well as the United States’ coordination with Syrian insurgents on the ground.

A missile-loaded Turkish Air Force warplane takes off from the Incirlik Air Base, in the outskirts Adana, south-eastern Turkey, Tuesday, July 28, 2015. “There’ve been rumors… that is not the case”, a senior US official said. But Ankara decided to more broadly cooperate with the US-led alliance fighting ISIS after a suicide bomber belonging to the jihadist group killed 32 pro-Kurdish activists in a Turkish town bordering Syria on July 20. Close to 2 million Syrian refugees have fled to Turkey.

The new Turkish measures potentially could weaken the Islamic State group in Syria and strengthen other insurgents fighting it and the Syrian government.

Turkish officials and Syrian opposition leaders are describing the agreement as something just short of a prize they have long sought as a tool against Assad: a no-fly zone in Syria near the Turkish border.

Spokesman Tanju Bilgic told reporters a cabinet resolution to allow the use of the base by coalition aircraft “has matured”, meaning Incirlik “could be used any time, whenever needed”.

The United Nations humanitarian chief, Stephen O’Brien, has warned against calling a proposed buffer along the Turkey-Syrian border a “safe zone”, saying it could risk attracting vulnerable people to an area without “sufficient protection”. This has already been brought to the attention of U.S. authorities. They also say that while a de facto safe zone could be a byproduct of the plan, a formal no-fly zone is not part of the deal. But Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said air cover will be provided. But a Turkish ground campaign sets up a potential conflict with U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in the area, possibly emboldening other Turkey-backed hard-line Islamic groups.