Syria Jarablus: Turkish Tanks Roll Into Northern Syria

A dozen Turkish tanks and other vehicles have entered the Syrian town of Jarablus, a few kilometers from the border. “President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the operation was aimed against both IS and Kurdish fighters,” reports BBC News. “Turkey shelled Syrian Kurdish forces in the region this week, determined not to let them fill the vacuum if [the Islamic State] leaves.” The five-year war is complicated: Russia, the United States, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Kurdish groups oppose the Islamic State that controls some territory in Syria and Iraq; Russia and Iran support the authoritarian regime in Syria that’s battling numerous rebel groups and jihadists; Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance along with the United States, yet also opposes a Kurdish group supported by the US as well as an autonomous Kurdish state near its border. Kurds make up about 20 percent of the Turkish population. Erdoğan explained his goal is “putting an end” to problems at the Turkish-Syrian border. – YaleGlobal