Turkey: Only Syrian Refugees Can Cross into Syria to Defend Kobane

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that only Syrian refugees could cross into Syria to defend Ayn al-Arab Kobane, rejecting Western calls to open the frontier. Asked if Turkey will open its borders for Kurdish volunteers to move into Ayn al-Arab Kobane, he said, “Syrian Kurds can cross the Turkish border to fight against ISIS in Kobane.” But he drew the line against Turkish Kurds. “When it comes to Turkish citizens crossing into Syria, we cannot let them be a part of the fight there, no matter which side they will be fighting for. French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday called on Turkey to open its border with Syria to allow the flow of Kurdish fighters to defend Ayn al-Arab (Kobane). Gen. John Allen, the special US presidential envoy on ISIS, said Wednesday that negotiations are still underway with the Turkish side to determine the mechanism of Turkish participation in the US-led coalition against extremism in both Syria and Iraq. Salem al-Meslet, spokesman for the Syrian Coalition, said that Turkey’s rejection of the Western calls to open the border in front of non-Syrian Kurdish fighters to defend Ayn al-Arab (Kobane) is realistic and justified as it illogical to throw civilians in armed conflict and without prior training, at a time when no tangible support has yet been received by the FSA which is the only credible force able to defeat ISIS. He also said that the FSA has driven ISIS out of more than 14 areas in Syria within a few days, while the military strikes being carried out by the international anti-ISIS coalition have so far failed to yield any tangible results on the ground, citing ISIS advance on the town of Ayn al-Arab (Kobane). Meslet points out that the international community bears the responsibility for the tragic situation in Syria as it has not outlines a clear and comprehensive strategy to fight extremism in the region, calling for the international anti-ISIS alliance to reconsider its strategy in the fight against terrorism.” (Source: Syrian Coalition + Agencies)