Last updated: October 20, 2014 1:06 pm FT
Turkey opens corridor for Kurdish fighters to relieve Kobani
Daniel Dombey in Ankara, John Aglionby in London, Erika Solomon in Beirut and Borzou Daragahi in Cairo
Turkey has announced it is allowing Kurdish fighters from northern Iraq to cross over its territory to relieve the besieged Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani, a striking shift in Ankara’s position that was prompted by a request from Washington.
“We are helping peshmerga forces cross over to Kobani,” said Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey’s foreign minister, using the name for Kurdish fighters. “Consultations are going on.”
Turkey’s announcement came hours after the US military carried out an air drop of weapons to aid Kobani’s defenders, despite opposition from Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
US secretary of state John Kerry said on Monday that the airdrop was a temporary measure and confirmed that the US had asked Turkey to allow passage for the Iraqi Kurdish fighters.
"It would be irresponsible of us, as well morally very difficult, to turn your back on a community fighting Isil [an acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or Isis] as hard as it is at this particular moment," he told reporters in Jakarta.
Until now, Ankara has refused to allow a corridor of weapons and fighters to be established across its territory to aid Kobani, which is attacked by Isis fighters on three sides and which borders Turkey to the north.
Ankara is suspicious of the Kurdish fighters defending the town, who are affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an organisation designated as terrorist by the US, EU and Turkey and which has fought the Turkish state in a 30-year conflict that has claimed some 40,000 lives.
At the weekend Mr Erdogan said it was impossible for Turkey to support arming the People’s Democratic Union (PYD), the PKK’s Syrian sister organisation, describing both as terrorist organisations.
But the US airdrop – which US President Barack Obama informed Mr Erdogan about in a phone conversation on Saturday – demonstrated to Ankara that the Turkish government’s objections would not stop Washington from providing weapons to the group directly if it felt it had no other option.
"We understand fully the fundamentals of their [Turkey’s] opposition and ours to any kind of terrorist group, and particularly obviously the challenges they face with respect the PKK," said Mr Kerry. "But we have undertaken a coalition effort to degrade and destroy [Isis] and [the group] is presenting itself in major numbers in this place called Kobani."
Mr Cavusoglu called for the PYD to change its goals, arguing that, like Isis, it wanted to control a part of the country rather than fighting against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
US Central Command confirmed on Sunday that C-130 aircraft “conducted multiple airdrops” to deliver supplies “provided by the Kurdish authorities in Iraq and intended to enable continued resistance against Isil’s attempts to overtake Kobani”.
A spokesman for the Kurdish fighting force confirmed the “happy news” of the air drop on Twitter but gave no details. It is unclear where the Kurdish forces in Iraq obtained the weapons.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a consistently accurate UK-based monitoring network, reported that a large amount of weapons and ammunition was delivered to Kurdish fighters in Kobani but did not specify the origin.
The group also described multiple US-led air strikes targeting Isis to the west of the city and clashes near the centre of the city.
Speaking from the besieged city, Abdullah Mohamed, a Kurdish fighter, said he had heard the weapons had been received although he acknowledged he had not seen them. He described about 27 tons of weapons and ammunition as well as medical supplies.
The announcement confirms claims made last week by the PYD that the Kurdish guerrillas’ recent success was built on new, direct co-ordination with the US-led coalition.
Mr Obama has been urged by longstanding allies and even by some of his senior military advisers to expand the scope of US-led operation against Isis. Some analysts have suggested that greater US co-operation with Kobani’s Kurdish defenders could serve as both a practical alternative to more aid from Turkey and a form of pressure on Ankara.
Soli Ozel at Istanbul’s Kadir Has University, said: “This weakens Turkey’s hand”, arguing that the US action came because of Turkey’s reluctance to contribute more to the anti-Isis coalition.
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But he added that much of the Turkish public would see the airdrop as direct aid to the PKK, “adding to the problems between Turkey and the US, particularly the general mistrust of the [Turkish] public of the US and its intentions”.
As a condition for closer ties, Turkey has demanded that the Syrian Kurds roll back steps towards autonomy, distance themselves from the regime of Mr Assad and join other opposition groups.
Ankara has also set conditions – notably the establishment of “safe zones” in northern Syria – for increasing its co-operation with the US-led coalition at a time when Washington has made clear its desire to run air strikes out of its air base at Incirlik, southern Turkey.
The Centcom statement on Sunday confirmed that US forces have conducted more than 135 air strikes against Kobani in recent weeks, helping to kill hundreds of militants, while noting that the security situation in the city “remains fragile”.
However, Idriss Nassan, a political leader in the Kurdish city, claimed the tide of the battle for Kobani had turned in recent days. “The fighting is going very well from our side, and in the coming days I think it will only get better,” said Mr Nassan.
Daniel Dombey in Ankara, John Aglionby in London, Erika Solomon in Beirut and Borzou Daragahi in Cairo
Turkey has announced it is allowing Kurdish fighters from northern Iraq to cross over its territory to relieve the besieged Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani, a striking shift in Ankara’s position that was prompted by a request from Washington.
“We are helping peshmerga forces cross over to Kobani,” said Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey’s foreign minister, using the name for Kurdish fighters. “Consultations are going on.”
Turkey’s announcement came hours after the US military carried out an air drop of weapons to aid Kobani’s defenders, despite opposition from Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
''But the US airdrop – which US President Barack Obama informed Mr Erdogan about in a phone conversation on Saturday – demonstrated to Ankara that the Turkish government’s objections would not stop Washington from providing weapons to the group directly if it felt it had no other option.''
US secretary of state John Kerry said on Monday that the airdrop was a temporary measure and confirmed that the US had asked Turkey to allow passage for the Iraqi Kurdish fighters.
"It would be irresponsible of us, as well morally very difficult, to turn your back on a community fighting Isil [an acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or Isis] as hard as it is at this particular moment," he told reporters in Jakarta.
Until now, Ankara has refused to allow a corridor of weapons and fighters to be established across its territory to aid Kobani, which is attacked by Isis fighters on three sides and which borders Turkey to the north.
Ankara is suspicious of the Kurdish fighters defending the town, who are affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an organisation designated as terrorist by the US, EU and Turkey and which has fought the Turkish state in a 30-year conflict that has claimed some 40,000 lives.
At the weekend Mr Erdogan said it was impossible for Turkey to support arming the People’s Democratic Union (PYD), the PKK’s Syrian sister organisation, describing both as terrorist organisations.
But the US airdrop – which US President Barack Obama informed Mr Erdogan about in a phone conversation on Saturday – demonstrated to Ankara that the Turkish government’s objections would not stop Washington from providing weapons to the group directly if it felt it had no other option.
It would be irresponsible of us, as well morally very difficult, to turn your back on a community fighting [Isis]
- John Kerry, US secretary of state
"We understand fully the fundamentals of their [Turkey’s] opposition and ours to any kind of terrorist group, and particularly obviously the challenges they face with respect the PKK," said Mr Kerry. "But we have undertaken a coalition effort to degrade and destroy [Isis] and [the group] is presenting itself in major numbers in this place called Kobani."
Mr Cavusoglu called for the PYD to change its goals, arguing that, like Isis, it wanted to control a part of the country rather than fighting against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
US Central Command confirmed on Sunday that C-130 aircraft “conducted multiple airdrops” to deliver supplies “provided by the Kurdish authorities in Iraq and intended to enable continued resistance against Isil’s attempts to overtake Kobani”.
A spokesman for the Kurdish fighting force confirmed the “happy news” of the air drop on Twitter but gave no details. It is unclear where the Kurdish forces in Iraq obtained the weapons.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a consistently accurate UK-based monitoring network, reported that a large amount of weapons and ammunition was delivered to Kurdish fighters in Kobani but did not specify the origin.
The group also described multiple US-led air strikes targeting Isis to the west of the city and clashes near the centre of the city.
Speaking from the besieged city, Abdullah Mohamed, a Kurdish fighter, said he had heard the weapons had been received although he acknowledged he had not seen them. He described about 27 tons of weapons and ammunition as well as medical supplies.
The fighting is going very well from our side, and in the coming days I think it will only get better.- Idriss Nassan, political leader in Kobani
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The announcement confirms claims made last week by the PYD that the Kurdish guerrillas’ recent success was built on new, direct co-ordination with the US-led coalition.
Mr Obama has been urged by longstanding allies and even by some of his senior military advisers to expand the scope of US-led operation against Isis. Some analysts have suggested that greater US co-operation with Kobani’s Kurdish defenders could serve as both a practical alternative to more aid from Turkey and a form of pressure on Ankara.
Soli Ozel at Istanbul’s Kadir Has University, said: “This weakens Turkey’s hand”, arguing that the US action came because of Turkey’s reluctance to contribute more to the anti-Isis coalition.
Podcast
But he added that much of the Turkish public would see the airdrop as direct aid to the PKK, “adding to the problems between Turkey and the US, particularly the general mistrust of the [Turkish] public of the US and its intentions”.
As a condition for closer ties, Turkey has demanded that the Syrian Kurds roll back steps towards autonomy, distance themselves from the regime of Mr Assad and join other opposition groups.
Ankara has also set conditions – notably the establishment of “safe zones” in northern Syria – for increasing its co-operation with the US-led coalition at a time when Washington has made clear its desire to run air strikes out of its air base at Incirlik, southern Turkey.
The Centcom statement on Sunday confirmed that US forces have conducted more than 135 air strikes against Kobani in recent weeks, helping to kill hundreds of militants, while noting that the security situation in the city “remains fragile”.
“Kobani could still fall,” Centcom said.
However, Idriss Nassan, a political leader in the Kurdish city, claimed the tide of the battle for Kobani had turned in recent days. “The fighting is going very well from our side, and in the coming days I think it will only get better,” said Mr Nassan.
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