Can Turkey set up buffer zone inside Syria?
The idea of a buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border has been revived again, but faces serious feasibility questions.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is livid over what he says is a coordinated media campaign in the West to discredit Turkey and show it as the weak link in the US-led efforts to combat the Islamic State (IS).
Ankara is nevertheless concerned over the perception that Turkey is not only reluctant to join the fight against IS, but is aiding the group, if not directly, by at least turning a blind eye to its logistical and financial activities on Turkish territory.
Meanwhile, IS — which is holding hostage Turkey’s Mosul consul general and 48 consulate staff and family members — continues to pose serious problems for Ankara. The recent advances reportedly secured by the group in northern Syria are resulting in a fresh wave of refugees piling up on the Turkish border.
All of these developments are forcing the government to consider new options for addressing the IS problem, which continues to fester in a number of ways for Ankara. Erdogan convened a high-level security summit in Ankara earlier this week on developments related to IS and to discuss possible solutions.
