Türkiye changes tone towards IS, but waits for action

Ankara (AFP) – Turkey has toughened its rhetoric against Islamic State jihadists, but the West is still waiting for action after months of frustration over Ankara’s lukewarm cooperation.

Ankara denied on Wednesday that Turkish airspace was used in recent US-led strikes against IS fighters in Syria, but made clear that Turkey strongly supports the campaign.

IS fighters have advanced into Kurdish areas in northern Syria and are coming dangerously close to the Turkish border. This triggered an exodus of around 140,000 predominantly Kurdish refugees to Turkey.

During his first visit to the West since taking office as president in New York in August, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan clearly condemned IS as a “terrorist organization.”

He also said that Turkey could offer logistical, intelligence and even military support to the anti-IS campaign, the first time Ankara has hinted at such support.

Turkey, which has been working for years to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, is blamed by some for triggering the rise of IS and then doing little to combat it.

The West has been frustrated for months by Turkey’s reticence, but Ankara has said its hands are tied because dozens of Turkish hostages are being held by IS in Iraq.

Following the unexpected release of the hostages over the weekend – reportedly after negotiations with IS in a top-secret operation overseen by Turkish intelligence – Ankara is now adopting a tougher tone towards the group.

Erdogan said in New York: “We will take all necessary steps to combat terrorism.”

– “Open to all possibilities” –

Ankara, however, has not commented on the details of its assistance and is keeping all options open, even as its allies are clamoring for immediate support.

US Secretary of State John Kerry had stated that he expected Ankara to be on the “front lines” in the fight against IS after the hostages were released.

Turkey hosts US air forces at its Incirlik air base, an ideal launching pad for air strikes in Syria.

“Turkey is currently reviewing the extent of its support for the operation,” Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan said on Wednesday.

“It could be logistical or intelligence cooperation. An operation does not necessarily mean firing shots.”

Ilter Turan, professor of political science at Bilgi University in Istanbul, said it was too early to speak of a dramatic change in Turkey’s position.

“One should not attach too much importance to words before seeing actions,” he told AFP, adding that Turkey was under pressure from its Western allies.

“We can expect a change in Ankara’s position, but we do not know in what form.”

A Turkish official declined to comment on the “technical details” of such an operation against the IS insurgency, but said military cooperation with allies has various dimensions and participation as a combat force is just one of them.

“It would be wrong to reduce (military cooperation) to that,” he told AFP.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said many of the wordings had already been discussed between Turkey and its NATO allies.

“We are open to all possibilities, but that does not mean we will participate in operations,” the source said.

– New problems for Kurdish peace –

Turkey is also aware that the IS attack on Kurdish-populated parts of Syria and the influx of Kurdish refugees come at a critical time in its search for peace in the 30-year-old conflict with the militant forces of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey.

Their imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan angrily accused the Turkish government on Tuesday of negotiating with IS over the hostages but refusing to resume peace talks with the PKK.

Turkey has already expressed concerns that weapons supplied by Western countries could fall into the hands of PKK fighters who could carry out attacks on Turkish soil.

Given the escalating clashes between Kurdish fighters and IS insurgents, Turkey’s top priority has become establishing a safe zone to support the civilian population across the border on Syrian soil.

“Turkey has taken in the same number of refugees in three days as European countries have taken in since April 2011,” the official said, raising Ankara’s concerns about a flood of refugees if IS wages a war of life and death.

“A safety zone is very important, but it requires a no-fly zone and UN approval. That is our priority.”