Turkish-backed rebels cleared the Islamic State from Turkey’s southern border, securing a 90-kilometer corridor, which is equal to some 55 miles, and marked a substantial advance in Ankara’s declared plan to drive out the extreme Muslim militants from its border, while stopping an advance by Kurdish militias that Turkey says pose a major-threat to national-security. Turkey has been dealing for years with a Kurdish insurgency, led by the internationally recognized terror group PKK, which aspires to establish a Kurdish state on lands in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
The hopes of doing so, however, are rejected by regional powers, with the last such declaration yesterday by Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in which he emphasized that Ankara would never allow the formation of, what he referred to as, an “artificial state” in northern Syria. “We are there (Northern Syria) with Euphrates Shield (Turkish Operation in Syria). We are there to protect our border, to provide our citizens safety of life and to ensure Syria’s integrity.” / “We will never allow an artificial state in Northern Syria,” stated Yildirim.
While the United States and Europe also regard the PKK as a terrorist group, Washington sees the Syrian-Kurdish YPG as a separate entity and as its most effective partner in the fight against Islamic State in Syria. That position has caused friction with Turkey, a NATO member and a partner in the fight against Islamic State.