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Syrian Turkmens are forgotten ally in war against Islamic State

Syrian Turkmens say they can play key role in fighting IS in northern Syria.
TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY ANTONIO PAMPLIEGA
A masked Syrian Turkmen rebel takes posision in the Hanano district of the northern city of Aleppo on January 28, 2013. Members of Syria's Turkmen minority have joined forces with rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad's regime in a struggle they say is for democracy and revenge for years of oppression. AFP PHOTO/JM LOPEZ        (Photo credit should read JM LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
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A Syrian Turkmen commander who spoke to Al-Monitor from the Bostanpasa district, at the front line of Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, says the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) is not taking advantage of Turkmens willing to fight against the Islamic militant group.

The commander, who spoke without giving his name for security reasons, said, "IS attacks on our villages since August 2014 have increased. They have killed hundreds of Syrian Turkmens, beheaded our leaders in front of all of us. We have scores of young men volunteering to fight IS but we have problems supplying them with weapons. The whole world thinks Turkey is meeting all our needs. We wish it were so. If such had been the case, the Bashar al-Assad regime wouldn’t be so at ease in Damascus nor IS at Raqqa and Aleppo. The anti-IS coalition, if it wanted, could in a short time put together robust military formations of tens of thousands of Turkmens and score major successes quickly. But the international community is ignoring us and they don’t respond to our requests. We could contribute significantly to the war against IS but we are not getting any support.”

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