U.S.: We really can’t succeed against ISIL without Turkey

ISR Comment: Turkish AKP leaders should not feel flattered when U.S. administration officials say, "We really can’t succeed against ISIL without Turkey." Such statements underscore Turkey's role in facilitating the rise of ISIL, not highlight Turkey's capacity to fight ISIL. Turkey allowed fighters, weapons, and space for ISIL to emerge as the global threat it now is. Turkish leaders, motivated by nationalism and sectarianism thought they could use ISIL, the "Sunni" potent fighting force that is motivated by its puritan creed, to remove an Alawite Syrian president. That strategy failed and Turkey, and to some extent the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, have no plan B at this point. It is doubtful that Turkey, under Erdoğan and AKP rule can shift its strategy and cooperate with U.S. to fight ISIL.

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U.S. President Barack Obama’s Deputy Special Envoy to the Global Anti-ISIL Coalition, Brett McGurk, who was in Ankara this week to finalize the Incirlik agreement between Turkey and U.S., has said Washington “can’t succeed against Daesh without Turkey,” speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News in an exclusive interview via Skype.


“The threat of Daesh is extremely serious. It’s not going away. It’s growing. It’s a challenge the world has never seen before,” McGurk said, emphasizing the two countries’ close collaboration up to now.

He aslo said Turkish F-16’s will fly with U.S. jets from Incirlik very soon and the only reason Turkey is not yet engaged in anti-ISIL airstrikes are “technical arrangements” that are soon to be finalized.

Here is the full text of the interview:

read interview >>