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Kobani’s fate in balance as allies fail to agree on ISIL strategy
Who controls Kobani?
Amid fresh US-led airstrikes, Kurdish forces look to be holding out in the strategic Syrian town, according to Washington.
But as Turkish tanks look on, a monitoring group claims air attacks have failed to halt the advance of ISIL extremists who it says have seized over a third of Kobani, near Turkey’s border.
Meeting the visiting head of NATO, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reiterated Ankara’s refusal to go it alone in putting boots on the ground on Syrian territory.
“It is not realistic to expect Turkey to carry out a ground operation on its own,” he told a joint news conference.
“Negotiations are continuing over our suggestions. Turkey will not hesitate to do its part when a joint decision is reached.”
But NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says NATO has not discussed Turkish proposals to establish a no-fly zone or a safe zone inside Syria.
While admitting that US air strikes alone won’t save Kobani, President Obama has rejected the idea of an internationally protected buffer zone.
And as the wrangling goes on, the extremists continue their propaganda campaign.
Unverified pictures uploaded to social media purport to show ISIL fighters with weapons and vehicles seized from Kurdish forces.
Amid fresh US-led airstrikes, Kurdish forces look to be holding out in the strategic Syrian town, according to Washington.
But as Turkish tanks look on, a monitoring group claims air attacks have failed to halt the advance of ISIL extremists who it says have seized over a third of Kobani, near Turkey’s border.
Meeting the visiting head of NATO, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reiterated Ankara’s refusal to go it alone in putting boots on the ground on Syrian territory.
“It is not realistic to expect Turkey to carry out a ground operation on its own,” he told a joint news conference.
“Negotiations are continuing over our suggestions. Turkey will not hesitate to do its part when a joint decision is reached.”
But NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says NATO has not discussed Turkish proposals to establish a no-fly zone or a safe zone inside Syria.
While admitting that US air strikes alone won’t save Kobani, President Obama has rejected the idea of an internationally protected buffer zone.
And as the wrangling goes on, the extremists continue their propaganda campaign.
Unverified pictures uploaded to social media purport to show ISIL fighters with weapons and vehicles seized from Kurdish forces.
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