Turkey Will Let US Warplanes Launch Attacks on ISIS From Bases

US Has Long Sought Access to Turkish Bases

Fresh off a round of fighting along the Turkey-Syria border between the Turkish military and ISIS, Turkey has announced it has agreed to grant the US military the right to use two different airbases in their country to launch attacks against ISIS forces.

The US has been seeking access to Turkish airbases since the bombings against ISIS in Syria began last year, but Turkey has been reluctant to do so, fearing it would increase the chances of ISIS attacks in their country. Given the recent border tension, Turkish officials may believe that ship has sailed.

The Turkish contribution to the US war against ISIS had previously been limited to a single base, for reconnaissance flights only, and has hosted a training effort to create a pro-US rebel force, which has amounted to just a few dozen fighters so far.

Turkish officials believe that ISIS has become a “national security threat” and that this recent border fighting justifies greater cooperation with the US on the war against ISIS. Whether this will pay dividends to the US war remains to be seen, but it will likely add to the interest in ISIS attacking Turkish order regions.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.