Turkey Joins The Fight

            After much hesitation from the Turkish government about what kind of role they are willing to play in taking on the Islamic State, the debate is slowly coming to an end. An article published by BBC has stated that with ISIS fighters on Turkey’s doorstep, Turkey has decided to allow Peshmerga fighters to cross its borders. The fighters plan to enter into Syria from Turkey where they will meet the Islamic State fighters face to face in the Syrian city of Kobane. This comes as a large surprise after the Turkish Prime Minister had been very clear about not allowing the use of Turkish territory or resources in combatting the Islamic State.

            This change in tone from Turkey is welcomed by the United States and other coalition countries. Allowing the use of its territory and resources will be a huge help in halting the ISIS war machine. Turkish involvement does have a price though. The prime minister has stated that Turkey’s involvement in this conflict will be “an integrated strategy” that will also take action against the Syrian dictator’s forces. On its face, this seems to complicate the situation; however, the United States would love to see Bashar Al Assad lose power just as much as the people of Turkey.

            With ISIS fighters advancing into Syria and closing in on the Turkish border, being able to launch airstrikes from Turkey will be extremely advantageous. If the coalition is able to gain the cooperation of all the surrounding countries, it will be able to surround the Islamic State territory and stop it from gaining more ground. Once ISIS can be contained, coalition forces can begin to reclaim lost territory and defeat the Islamic State at last. It will be interesting to see how the support of Turkey will aid the coalition in the long run, but as of now it is gratifying news that is warmly welcomed by the United States.

"Peshmerga Fighters Head to Turkey." BBC News. BBC, 28 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.