US puts on hold request for more Turkish airstrikes: Report
The United States has reportedly put on hold a request for Turkey to play a more assertive role in the US-led military campaign in Syria, according to a report.
The pause is aimed at allowing enough time for heightened tensions between Turkey and Russia to ease, a US official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The Turkish air force shut down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border on November 24, marking the first time a NATO member opened fire on a Russian plane. Russian President Vladimir Putin called Turkey “accomplices of terrorists” and warned of “serious consequences.”
Turkey has not flown any air missions in Syria since the downing of the Russian jet, two US officials told Reuters.
Pentagon officials and war planners have sought a more active Turkish contribution, particularly in securing a section of border with Syria that is seen as a key supply route for the Daesh (ISIL) terrorists.
A top priority of the US is for Turkey to cordon off a stretch of 60-mile (100 km) frontier that is used by Daesh to move militants and supplies in and out of the war zone, the first US official told Reuters.
Pentagon officials have estimated that as many as 30,000 soldiers are needed to secure the border.
The US also wants to see more Turkish airstrikes on Daesh positions.
At a congressional hearing this week, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said most of the Turkish air operations have so far been directed against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants not Daesh terrorists.
Moscow also sees the closure of Turkey’s borders with Syria and Iraq as a key measure in combating terrorism in the region.
The war of words between Ankara and Moscow has also intensified after Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had evidence that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family are involved in the smuggling of oil stolen from territories held by Daesh in Syria and Iraq.
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