ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish news reports say that for the second straight night, Turkish jets have struck Islamic State group targets across the border in Syria. The fighter jets also hit camps of Kurdish PKK terrorists in northern Iraq.
It’s the first time Turkey has struck Kurds in northern Iraq since a peace deal between Ankara and the rebel group was announced in 2013. Tensions have flared with Kurds in recent days after an Islamic State suicide bombing in the southeastern Turkish city of Suruc on Monday. Kurdish groups blame the Turkish government for not combatting the terrorist group.
On Wednesday, the PKK claimed responsibility for the killing of two Turkish policemen near the Syrian border. Turkey started attacking terrorist positions after the suicide bombing and an Islamic State ambush that killed a Turkish soldier.
The initial strikes early Friday against the Islamic State came after U.S. and Turkish officials said Turkey had agreed to allow the United States to launch airstrikes against the terrorist group from Turkish territory, a major strategic shift aimed at facilitating more extensive attacks against the terrorists in their northern Syria strongholds.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Friday confirmed the government’s decision to grant access to Turkish bases to “manned and unmanned aircraft from the U.S. and other coalition countries.”
The Turkish air force will also participate “with the same objective,” the ministry said in a statement, describing the Islamic State as “a primary national security threat for Turkey.”
In Washington, State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said “Turkey has granted clearance” for U.S. and coalition aircraft to use its bases, and “that includes Incirlik air base.”
“We’re looking for deeper cooperation with Turkey and with the members of the coalition,” and this is another step in that process, Toner said.
In addition to deploying manned and unmanned aircraft from Incirlik, he said, the United States is “looking at how we can deepen the train-and-equip program, operational coordination and intelligence sharing.”
