Türkiye officially joins the fight against IS

(Baonghean.vn) - After much hesitation, the Ankara government has finally officially joined the fight against IS in Syria by deciding to send fighter jets to strike IS bases.

A Turkish guard post near the Syrian border. Photo: Internet.

On Friday, July 24, the Turkish Prime Minister's Office announced that the country had sent three F16 fighter jets from the Air Force to bomb several targets of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

The airstrikes began at around 4 a.m. local time, the source said. The warplanes hit “two headquarters and one gathering point” of IS with missiles before returning to their base in Diyarbakir, in the southeast of the country. The targets were located around the village of Havar, Syria, near the Turkish province of Kilis, according to the Dogan news agency.

It is known that the airstrikes targeting the IS organization in Syria were decided by the Turkish government in a security meeting held on the evening of July 23 to "take all precautions to protect national security".

Türkiye’s decision to attack IS comes as jihadists have become increasingly active along the Syrian-Turkish border. On July 23, a missile fired from Syria at a Turkish border post killed one non-commissioned officer and wounded two others. Turkish tanks fired on IS positions shortly afterwards. The July 23 battle is considered the most serious conflict between the two sides since IS took control of most of Syria.

Earlier, on July 20, a suicide bombing by IS targeting the Turkish government killed 32 people and injured dozens of others at a Kurdish cultural center in Suruc. This was also the first terrorist attack by IS on Turkish territory.

On July 23, many analysts also predicted that Türkiye would be more aggressive in the fight against IS, especially after an anonymous US official announced that the Ankara government had allowed the US to use its air bases, including Incirlik – the military base closest to the Syrian border.

Chu Thanh

(According to Le Monde)