Turkey’s Army Drives Deeper Into Syria as Latest Truce Frays
- Erdogan directs troops toward ISIS bastion 30 km from border
- Clashes also loom with Kurds; Russia remains long-term rival
Turkish army tanks and armored personnel carriers move toward the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, on Aug. 25, 2016.
Photographer: Halit Onur Sandal/AP PhotoBehind their dirt embankments on the frontier with Syria, Turkish soldiers take refuge from the scorching sun in the shade of pine trees. A pile of shells sits beside them on the road, ready for action.
The border they’re defending is effectively less of a border than it used to be, and the action is further away. That’s because Turkey’s army, since it crossed into Syria late last month to fight Islamic State and Kurdish militias, has driven the front line deep into the neighboring state. It now controls a 900 square-kilometer (350 square-mile) area inside Syria. And that’s just the start, judging by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments on Monday.