US officials confirmed on Saturday that Ankara had agreed to train Syrian moderate forces on Turkish soil. A Turkish government official said on Sunday that Turkey put the number at 4,000 opposition fighters and they would be screened by Turkish intelligence. Also on Sunday, officials confirmed that Turkey agreed to let US and coalition fighter aircraft launch operations against Isis militants in Iraq and Syria from Turkish bases, including Incirlik air base in the south. US defence secretary Chuck Hagel, who has been travelling in South America, has said the US wanted access to the Turkish bases. [...] US officials are “continuing to talk to the Turks about other ways that they can play an important role. They are already essential to trying to prevent the flow of foreign fighters” and prevent extremists from exporting oil through Turkey. “So Turkey has many ways it can contribute,” Rice told NBC’s Meet the Press. Hagel spoke by telephone on Sunday with Turkey’s defence minister, Ismet Yilmaz, and thanked him for his country’s willingness to assist in the fight.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 01:47:21 +0000
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