Turkey, US ready to begin anti-Daesh strikes after 'pause'

Turkey is ready to begin operations against Daesh (IS) jihadists along with its NATO ally United States after a "pause" for coordination purposes, a Turkish foreign ministry official said on Wednesday.

Ankara launched its first air strikes against Daesh targets in late July but then put them on hold, instead concentrating its firepower on Kurdish militants in operations that have troubled some allies.

But the Turkish official said the anti-Daesh operations had been put on hold at Washington's request so that the strikes against the jihadists could be carried out jointly.

"Turkey and the United States will coordinate operations," the official said speaking on condition of anonymity.

"From our perspective, there has been a pause right now as Americans asked to wait for coordination purposes."

Last month, Turkey agreed to open up its Incirlik air base in southern part of the country to coalition planes for bombing Daesh targets in Syria.

The landmark deal followed months of tough negotiations, as US officials sought to overcome Ankara's reluctance to take robust action in the anti-Daesh coalition.

"The (US) planes are arriving at (Incirlik), which is an indicator of the fact that the agreement reached with the United States is working," the official said.

"More planes will arrive. The number will increase in the coming period," the source added, without giving a timeframe for the start of the operations.
Source: AFP