TURKEY AND RUSSIA COMPLICATE THE SYRIA BATTLESPACE: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is in Brussels today, where he plans to meet one-on-one with his Turkish counterpart about the U.S. desire for Turkey to protect its border without undermining the fight against the Islamic State. Mattis and others discussed the situation yesterday with Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli at a meeting of the global coalition against ISIS in Rome. But Mattis has told reporters traveling with him to NATO headquarters that he will have a private session with Canikli at the NATO defense ministerial that begins today, as Turkey’s offensive against Kurds along its border is drawing U.S.-backed forces away from the task of finishing off ISIS.
“He laid out the rationale. We laid out the rationale for working this to a solution that took into account Turkey’s legitimate security concerns,” Mattis said of Canikli, who at the meeting vigorously defended Turkey’s “Operation Olive Branch” offensive in the Afrin border region, and accused NATO allies of failing Turkey, a loyal alliance member for 66 years. Turkey will “go to any length” to clear its border of terrorists, Canikli said, adding “NATO countries are not giving enough support.”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in Kuwait for an international conference on rebuilding Iraq, said he will be heading to Ankara this week to further press the case. “As to the situation in Afrin, it has detracted from our fight to defeat ISIS in eastern Syria, as forces have diverted themselves towards Afrin. Tillerson said Turkey is “mindful” of the effects this is having on the war against ISIS in the Middle Euphrates River Valley.
IT’S NOT OVER: “We’ve kept saying that the fight is not over. I’ve said that now for two months, and you just have to recognize, the fighting goes on,” Mattis emphasized to the traveling press corps. “Not even the caliphate is completely down. Then we have to work the rhetoric and the message of hatred that they had put out. We have to work against this ideology. We have to work against its financing,” Mattis said, noting that in recent days ISIS has been mounting counterattacks against the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. Mattis described the ISIS action as “local tactical counterattacks,” and said while it might be slightly above normal, “it’s not any kind of a larger effort.”
AAN Staff
The staff at American Action News are consummate professionals, who when not producing original, hard-hitting content, are scouring the internet to bring you the unfiltered news that matters to you! Our mission is to maximize your experience on our website. If we can ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to let us know!
