Turkey debates joining war on IS

2 October 2014 Last updated at 10:35

The Turkish parliament is to vote on a motion to allow its military to enter Iraq and Syria and foreign troops to use its territory for the operation.

Turkey had been unwilling to fight Islamic State (IS) militants because they were holding 46 Turkish hostages but they were released last month.

Parliament is expected to back the motion.

However, Turkey is wary of IS retaliation and fears helping the Kurds who are fighting the militants.

It has a porous and vulnerable border with Syria, more than 900km (560 miles) long.

Turkey has long been accused of permitting the flow of jihadists and resources into Syria as well as allowing IS to traffic oil from oilfields it has captured. The government in Ankara denies the allegations.

If MPs back the motion, it could mean the US using its large airbase at Incirlik in southern Turkey for air strikes.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the West to find a long-term solution to the crises in Syria and Iraq, pointing out that dropping "tonnes of bombs" on IS militants would only provide a temporary respite.

While he said "an effective struggle" against IS would be a priority for Turkey, "the immediate removal of the administration in Damascus" would also continue to be its priority.

He has repeatedly called for a buffer zone on the Turkish border inside Syria - enforced by a no-fly zone - to ensure security.

The BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul

What a difference a fortnight makes. Turkey has gone from refusing to take part in the US-led coalition to its parliament voting on a motion that could lead this country into battle in Iraq and Syria - and allow foreign troops to use its territory for that purpose.

The reason? The release of 46 Turkish citizens held hostage by Islamic State and plenty of pressure from Washington on its Nato ally.

President Obama even called his Turkish counterpart from Air Force One to twist arms.

But few expect Turkey to go in guns blazing. It shares a long, vulnerable border with both countries and fears retaliation, not least against Turkish troops protecting an Ottoman tomb in Syria, which IS militants have approached.

It is anxious not to embolden the Kurds - Turkey's long-standing enemy - in their fight against IS.

And it wants more: intervention against President Bashar al-Assad's regime and a buffer zone in northern Syria to help cope with the refugee influx, both of which seem some way off. Turkey is a vital player in this coalition - but how far it is willing to go is still unclear.

IS militants have advanced to within a few kilometres of the Kurdish town of Kobane, on the Syrian border with Turkey.

Imprisoned Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan was reported by Reuters on Thursday to have warned that peace talks between his group and the Turkish state would end if IS militants were allowed to carry out "a massacre" in Kobane.

The Islamic State advance close to the border has prompted thousands of Kurdish refugees fleeing the fighting in Syria to enter Turkey, which is already hosting more than a million Syrian refugees.

The IS campaign has also raised fears for the safety of Turkish special forces troops in Syria guarding the mausoleum of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of Osman I, who founded the Ottoman Empire. The tomb is in a small enclave some 30km (18 miles) south of the Turkish border.

Mr Erdogan denied reports on Wednesday that the tomb had been surrounded by militants.

What is Islamic State (IS)?

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In 60 seconds: What does Islamic State want?

• Formed out of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in 2013, IS first captured Raqqa in eastern Syria
• It captured parts of Iraq in June, including Mosul, and declared a "caliphate" in areas it controls in Syria and Iraq
• Pursuing an extreme form of Sunni Islam, IS has persecuted non-Muslims such as Yazidis and Christians, as well as Shia Muslims, whom it regards as heretics
• Known for its brutal tactics, including beheadings of soldiers, Western journalists and aid workers
• The CIA says the group could have as many as 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria

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