Syrian rebels take Islamic State town

In Turkey, Biden visits Erdogan

Syrian rebel factions said they were in control of Jarablus hours after Turkey sent tanks and special forces over its southern border with Syria on Wednesday to capture an Islamic State stronghold and push Kurdish forces from the area.

The Syrian opposition forces said they were still fighting small pockets of Islamic State militants.

U.S. warplanes supported Turkish troops and vetted Syrian opposition forces, according to a Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the operation.

The offensive came as Vice President Biden arrived in Turkey for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkish artillery launched intense fire on Jarablus, and Turkish warplanes bombed Islamic State targets in the town, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Turkey vowed to rid Islamic State militants from its borders after a suicide bombing last weekend at a Kurdish wedding that killed at least 54 people.

Erdogan spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted that the operation aimed to cleanse Turkey’s border of “all terrorist elements,” according to the Hurriyet Daily

News. Erdogan has complained of U.S. support for Syrian Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State militants. Turkey considers Kurdish groups fighting for independence terrorists.

In Ankara, Biden said Kurdish forces must pull back across the Euphrates River. “They cannot — will not — under any circumstance get American support if they do not keep that commitment,” Biden said.