Turkish warplanes bombed ISIS positions in Syria for the first time
early Friday, significantly ramping up the country's fight against the
terrorist group.
The strikes --
which struck three ISIS targets inside Syria -- come a day after ISIS militants
killed a Turkish soldier in a border clash, and in the same week that a suicide
blast blamed by Turkish authorities on ISIS killed more than 30 people.
Turkey's
decision to attack ISIS positions was taken during a national security meeting
Thursday headed by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
It followed the firefight earlier Thursday in which at least five ISIS militants
in northern Syria approached the border and fired on a Turkish border unit,
killing one soldier and wounding two others, according to the Turkish military.
Turkey initially
responded to the clash by firing artillery into Syria.
The Turkish
military has targeted positions in Syria before but only as a response to
incoming fire from the Syrian side of the border.
Friday's airstrikes were carried out by three F-16s that took
off from an air base in southeastern Turkey, authorities said.
They came after
news emerged of a tentative deal
to increase U.S. and coalition access to Turkish air bases, including Incirlik
near the Syrian border. The deal could provide the U.S. military with crucial
access from Turkey into Syria and Iraq that it has long wanted for the campaign
against ISIS.
Davutoglu told a
news conference Friday that a "certain amount of headway has been
made" in negotiations with the United States regarding the two countries'
cooperation in the fight against ISIS.
He added that
progress in the talks was not related to Thursday's attack on the Turkish
border. "This was a decision made on the basis of Turkish national
security," he said.
Further strikes not ruled out
The Turkish airstrikes Friday hit two
ISIS bases and a gathering point, the Turkish Prime Minister's office said.
The targets were
chosen based on intelligence reports suggesting a buildup of weapons and
explosives in the area, a Turkish official told CNN on condition of anonymity.
The fighter jets
have completed their mission, but the Turkish official didn't rule out the
possibility of further airstrikes.
"We are
committed to eliminating the national security threat," the official said.
There is a
longstanding resolution that has been passed by the Turkish parliament
permitting military action against Syria.
"The
targets were hit without going into Syrian airspace. If there was a need, we
would have gone into Syrian airspace as well," Davutoglu said.
Any terror group
that threatens Turkey's borders -- which are being watched closely -- will be
met by "the most ferocious response," Davutoglu said. However, he
played down talk of Turkey going to war in Syria, where the forces of President
Bashar al-Assad have been battling opposition groups since 2011.
"The war in
Syria has been going on for four years, and Turkey has not been a part of a war
and will not be a part of a war," he said.
Shift in strategy?
Ege Seckin, an analyst with IHS Country
Risk, said the change in Turkey's approach was significant.
"Turkey's
cross-border intervention with ground forces and airstrikes indicates a
departure from their Syria policy," he said. "Previously, Turkey
prioritized the fight against Syrian President Assad's forces over the Islamic
State. The developments in the past two days suggest that this has
changed."
He suggested
Turkey could in part be trying to secure its position in Syria following the
deal between Iran and world powers over its nuclear program, "which Turkey
probably fears would allow Iran to support Assad more effectively."
He added,
"Turkey is also seeking to contain Kurdish aspirations for autonomy and to
ensure its dominance over Syrian armed opposition groups."
Terrorism arrests
The intensified violence involving
Turkey comes after one of the deadliest terror attacks to hit the country in
years -- a suicide bombing that
killed at least 31 people Monday in
Suruc, a Turkish town that borders Syria.
The blast struck a gathering of mostly Kurdish activists calling
for more help to rebuild Kobani, the Syrian city that was the scene of intense
fighting last fall between ISIS and predominantly Kurdish forces.
Davutoglu told
reporters Tuesday that early indications pointed to involvement by ISIS in the
Suruc bombing, though an investigation hadn't been completed.
Davutoglu said
Friday that Turkish police and military had launched a massive operation
against terrorism suspects, arresting 297 people so far across 16 provinces.
"Thirty-seven
foreign nationals were detained. A lot of weapons and ammunition were
seized," he said.
Those arrested
were members of organizations, including ISIS and the Kurdish militant group,
the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, the Turkish government said.
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