The United States will provide air cover for Turkey’s operation against Islamic State in the northern Syrian town of Jarablus, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday, adding that Washington was “in synch” with its NATO ally on plans. That was reported by www.reuters.com.
The official made the comment in a briefing to reporters who were traveling on U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s plane en route to Turkey, where he is due to meet both President Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
Earlier President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, that Turkey’s operation against Daesh around the north Syrian city of Jarabulus is a response to terror attacks on southern Turkey in recent months.
Operation Euphrates Shield was launched early Wednesday, when artillery and air strikes were followed by Turkish tanks crossing the border to target Daesh in support of Free Syrian Army fighters.
“Right now, unfortunately, all the attacks which happened in Gaziantep and Kilis… brought this issue to this point,” Erdogan told an audience at the Presidential Palace in Ankara.
“This is the end. We said it needed to be finished and the process has started this morning at 4.00 a.m. We have to solve the problem.”
Since January, rocket attacks on the Turkish province of Kilis from Daesh-held territory in Syria have killed at least 21 people while terrorist attacks in Gaziantep blamed on Daesh include Saturday’s suicide bombing of a wedding that killed 54 and a car bomb attack in May that martyred two police officers.
“You cannot divide our nation, you cannot lower our flag, you cannot smash up our homeland, our state, you cannot silence our call to prayer, you cannot bring this county to your knees, you cannot bring to heel these people,” Erdogan said.
He added: “This nation exists and will always exist with its people, military, police and guards, whatever threats there are against Turkey.”
