ISIL LOSES KEY CITY ON BORDER TO TURKS, REBELS
Syrian rebels, Turkish troops retake Jarabulus
ISTANBUL • Syrian rebels backed by Turkish troops and tanks recaptured the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s last major stronghold on the Syrian-Turkish border on Wednesday, inflicting yet another defeat on the militants rapidly dwindling “caliphate.”
By late afternoon, rebel fighters and Turkish officials said the rebels had reached the centre of Jarabulus after encountering almost no resistance from ISIL fighters, who appeared to have fled ahead of the advancing forces.
Photographs posted on social media showed rebels posing in front of government buildings in the town’s central square.
The capture of Jarabulus deprives ISIL of a crucial foothold on the Turkish border, used for funnelling foreign fighters and supplies, and is expected to help accelerate the militants’ demise elsewhere across its self-proclaimed but rapidly dwindling caliphate.
The offensive was spearheaded by Turkey, which sent tanks, troops and warplanes into Syria for the first time in the country’s fiveyear-old war to help a force of hundreds of Syrian rebels.
The operation also includes U.S. advisers, who are advising the operation from inside Turkey, while American surveillance aircraft provided overflight intelligence and were poised to contribute U.S. airstrikes if necessary, according to a senior White House official.
It coincided with a crucial visit to Ankara by U.S. VicePresident Joe Biden, and it seemed intended to demonstrate that Turkey and the United States remain close allies in the war against ISIL, notwithstanding tensions that have strained their relationship since a failed coup attempt last month.
The presence of Turkish troops in Syria will also add a new layer of complexity to the already massively complicated war, potentially pushing Turkey closer toward conflict with U.S.backed Syrian Kurds and perhaps the Syrian government.
Biden, the official said, will try to convince Turkey that the United States understands the trauma of last month’s coup attempt here.
The vice-president went directly from the airport in Ankara to the Turkish parliament, which was bombed by commandeered F-16s during the failed insurrection.
The U.S. has long pushed for more aggressive action by Turkey against ISIL. But Turkey’s move to thwart Kurdish ambitions puts it on a path toward potential confrontation with Kurdish fighters in Syria who are also supported by the United States and have been the most effective force battling ISIL in northern Syria.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey’s goal in the offensive is to “sweep ISIL away from the border.” But he also warned Syrian Kurdish fighters to return east of the Euphrates River, saying that “if they fail to do so, we will do what is necessary.”