Turkey is engaged in a delicate diplomatic dance as it tries to convince the United States to abandon some of its best allies against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).
Ankara is earning kudos for finally allowing US warplanes to use Turkish air bases for bombing runs against IS after months of growing pressure. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also made it clear that he sees Kurdish militants as an existential threat that he is determined to take out.