- NEW: Report: 30 die amid protests; 2 police assessing protest sites also killed
- Group: ISIS controls about one-third of Kobani, a Kurdish enclave near the Turkish border
- Syrian Kurd: "The massacre is about to happen, and we have to act very ... promptly"
- Minister: Turkey will do "its part" against ISIS, but won't dispatch ground troops solo
(CNN) -- Refusing to buckle to violent protests demanding more action, Turkey's foreign minister insisted Thursday his nation "is on Kobani's side" -- referring to the Syrian border town in imminent danger of falling to ISIS -- but still won't unilaterally send ground troops to save it.
Time may be running out. Smoke rose over Kobani, a Kurdish enclave in Syria that's a stone's throw from the Turkish border, as U.S. warplanes pounded ISIS targets from above while Kurdish fighters tried to fend off the Islamist extremist group from below.
But ISIS isn't backing down. It seems to have wrested control of one-third of Kobani, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group.
Speaking alongside visiting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed his country vehemently opposed ISIS and its actions in Kobani and elsewhere.
Like it or not, Turkey is already knee deep in the regional unrest, having taken in more than 1.5 million people from Syria and Iraq, including some 200,000 Syrians from the Kobani region in the past two weeks.
ISIS tightens grip on key border town 
Protests in Turkey over ISIS inaction 
Tracking the ISIS fighter 
McKeon: Our ISIS strategy is not working Cavusoglu said Turkey supports the U.S.-led airstrikes against ISIS, though he stated these can only be so effective.
"Maybe you can stop them for a short period but you cannot clean the whole region from ISIS or some other terrorist organizations," the foreign minister said. "You need to take into consideration all options, including an operation on the ground."
The group that could help beat ISIS
That's what protesters around Turkey and outside of it have demanded, warning innocent people will be killed in mass -- much like what ISIS has been accused of in many other communities around Syria and Iraq, since it stepped up its armed campaign to take over territory amid Syria's yearslong civil war -- if something drastic isn't done.
There are ongoing talks about what the international approach to the crisis could look like. "Once there is a (common) decision, Turkey will not be reluctant to do its part," Cavusoglu said.
"It is not realistic to expect Turkey to conduct a ground operation on its own," Cavusoglu said.
Who's doing what in the coalition battle
Erdogan lashes out against protests calling for action
This position won't satisfy those who have hit the streets around Turkey in recent days.
They've chanted, marched and clashed with authorities using tear gas and other means.
"We want more airstrikes, we want a clear message," said Rebar Hajo, a Syrian Kurdish politician. "... The massacre is about to happen, and we have to act very ... promptly and intensify our attacks on them."
According to Anadolu, the nation's semiofficial news agency, 30 people have been killed since Wednesday across eight locations during what it calls the "illegal protests." This figure does not include six killed Thursday in Bingol, including two police officers shot while "doing damage assessment from the protests."
Dozens more have been injured in the protests nationwide, including at least three police officers in Istanbul alone.
Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker said 116 people had been arrested in connection with the violence and another 294 face charges for curfew violations.
President Recep Erdogan criticized the demonstrations, claiming they were tied to connected to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party and aimed to "manipulate perceptions of Turkey's policies," according to another Anadolu story. In a statement, he vowed that Turkish authorities will go after those behind "these acts of violence, vandalism and looting."
Turkey's tough choice: Take on ISIS or the PKK?
Pentagon: Key city may fall to ISIS 
ISIS threat stirs Sunni Awakening 
Who are the Kurds? 
A blindfolded man suspected of passing military information to the Syrian government waits to be interrogated by Free Syrian Army fighters Monday, October 6, in Aleppo, Syria. The United Nations estimates more than 190,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising in March 2011 spiraled into civil war. 
Medics at a field hospital in Douma, Syria, attend to a man who was injured in what activists said were two airstrikes carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday, September 20. 
Free Syrian Army fighters rest inside a damaged room in Aleppo on Tuesday, September 16, during what activists said were clashes with forces loyal to al-Assad. 
Syrian government forces walk down a street in Halfaya, Syria, after taking the city from rebel forces on Friday, September 12. 
Al-Qaeda-linked rebels from Syria gather around vehicles carrying U.N. peacekeepers from Fiji before releasing them Thursday, September 11, in the Golan Heights. The 45 peacekeepers were captured in the Golan Heights after rebels seized control of a border crossing between Syria and the Israeli-occupied territory. 
Syrian opposition fighters take position behind sandbags in Aleppo on Thursday, September 11. 
Syrians fleeing the violence stand next to their belongings as they attempt to cross into Turkey on Sunday, September 7. 
A boy looks at bodies lying outside a hospital after a barrel-bomb attack in Aleppo on Friday, September 5. 
A U.N. convoy moves in the buffer zone near the Golan Heights as they are escorted by Syrian rebel fighters near the Syrian village of Jubata Al Khashab on Tuesday, September 2. 
Residents of Aleppo remove a body from debris on Friday, August 29, after what activists claim was shelling by forces loyal to al-Assad. 
Druze men watch from the Golan Heights side of the Quneitra border with Syria as smoke rises during fighting between rebels and forces loyal to al-Assad on Wednesday, August 27. 
This image was taken during a government guided tour in Mleiha, Syria, one day after Syrian government forces retook the town after a months-long battle with rebels, according to a military source and state television on Friday, August 15. 
Residents inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings in Aleppo after Syrian regime helicopters allegedly dropped barrel bombs there on Wednesday, August 13. 
Smoke trails over Aleppo following barrel bombs that were allegedly dropped by the Syrian regime on an opposition-controlled area on Monday, August 11. 
Photographs of victims of the Bashar al-Assad regime are displayed as a Syrian Army defector known as "Caesar," center, appears in disguise to speak before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington. The briefing on Thursday, July 31, was called "Assad's Killing Machine Exposed: Implications for U.S. Policy." Caesar was apparently a witness to al-Assad's brutality and has smuggled more than 50,000 photographs depicting the torture and execution of more than 10,000 dissidents. 
Syrian rebel fighters take up positions behind sandbags in Aleppo on Wednesday, July 30. 
People carry an injured man away from the site of an airstrike, reportedly carried out by Syrian government forces, in Aleppo on Sunday, July 27. 
Rebel fighters execute two men Friday, July 25, in Binnish, Syria. The men reportedly were charged by an Islamic religious court with detonating several car bombs. 
A rebel fighter stands on a dust-covered street in Aleppo on Monday, July 21. 
A man clears debris at the site of an alleged barrel-bomb attack in Aleppo on Tuesday, July 15. 
A woman walks amid debris after an airstrike by government forces July 15 in Aleppo. 
People walk on a dust-filled street after a reported barrel-bomb attack in Aleppo on Monday, July 7. 
Apartments and other buildings lie in ruins on Tuesday, June 3, in Aleppo, a city that "has had the life bombed out of it," according to CNN's Nick Paton Walsh. 
A man carries a girl injured in a reported barrel-bomb attack by government forces June 3 in Aleppo. 
A rebel fighter loads an anti-tank cannon outside Latakia, Syria, on Sunday, June 1. 
A rescue worker pulls a girl from rubble in Aleppo on June 1 after reported bombing by government forces. 
A giant poster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen in Damascus, Syria, on Saturday, May 31, as the capital prepares for presidential elections. 
Portraits of al-Assad dominate the cityscape in central Damascus on Tuesday, May 27. Al-Assad is firmly in power three years into the civil war, while the opposition remains weak and fragmented and extremists grow in numbers and influence. 
The father of a 3-month-old girl weeps Monday, May 26, after she was pulled from rubble following a barrel-bomb strike in Aleppo. 
A woman stands in a heavily damaged building in Aleppo on May 26. 
An injured man lies in a hospital bed after alleged airstrikes by government forces in Aleppo on Sunday, May 18. 
Buildings in Homs, Syria, lie in ruins Saturday, May 10, days after an evacuation truce went into effect. Thousands of displaced residents returned to the city. 
Rescuers carry a man wounded by a mine in the Bustan al-Diwan neighborhood of Homs on May 10. 
A Syrian woman carries a suitcase along a street in the Juret al-Shayah district of Homs on May 10. 
Residents carry their belongings in the al-Hamidieh neighborhood of Homs on May 10. 
A woman injured when a mine went off is carried in Homs on May 10. 
Residents return to damaged dwellings in Homs on May 10. 
Debris lies on a deserted street in Homs on Thursday, May 8. 
A mosque is seen through shattered glass in Homs, where an evacuation truce went into effect on Wednesday, May 7. 
A wounded man is treated at a makeshift hospital in Aleppo on Sunday, May 4. 
Debris rises in what Free Syrian Army fighters said was an operation to strike a checkpoint and remove government forces in Maarat al-Numan, Syria, on Monday, May 5. 
A man helps a woman through debris after reported airstrikes by government forces on Thursday, May 1, in the Halak neighborhood of Aleppo. 
Syrians gather at the site of reported airstrikes in Aleppo on May 1. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 33 civilians were killed in the attack. 
A woman runs after two barrel bombs were thrown, reportedly by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on May 1. 
A boy runs in Aleppo on Sunday, April 27, after what activists said were explosive barrels thrown by forces loyal to al-Assad. 
Security and emergency medical personnel work at the site of a car bomb explosion Monday, April 14, in the Ekremah neighborhood of Homs. 
In this photo released by the state-run SANA news agency, Syrian forces take positions during clashes with rebels near the town of Rankous, Syria, on Sunday, April 13. 
Flames engulf a vehicle following a car bomb Wednesday, April 9, in the Karm al-Loz neighborhood of Homs. 
A man carries a child who was found in the rubble of an Aleppo building after it was reportedly bombed by government forces on Monday, March 18. 
An elderly man and a child walk among debris in a residential block of Aleppo on March 18. 
A woman with blood on her face carries a child following a reported airstrike by government forces Saturday, March 15, in Aleppo. 
People attempt to comfort a man in Aleppo after a reported airstrike by government forces on Sunday, March 9. 
Buildings in Homs lay in ruins on March 9. 
Syrian forces fire a cannon and a heavy machine gun loaded on a truck as they fight rebels in the Syrian town of Zara on Saturday, March 8. 
A handout photo released by SANA shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad speaking March 8 during a meeting in Damascus to mark the 51st anniversary of the 1963 revolution, when Baath Party supporters in the Syrian army seized power. Al-Assad said the country will go on with reconciliation efforts along with its fight against terrorism. 
Syrians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings in Aleppo following a reported airstrike by Syrian government forces on Friday, March 7. 
People dig through the rubble of a building in Damascus that was allegedly hit by government airstrikes on Thursday, February 27. 
A boy walks ahead of men carrying the body of his mother in Aleppo on Saturday, February 22. According to activists, the woman was killed when explosive barrels were thrown by forces loyal to al-Assad. 
A man holds a baby who survived what activists say was an airstrike by al-Assad loyalists Friday, February 14, in Aleppo. 
In this photo provided by the anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center, Syrian men help survivors out of a building in Aleppo after it was bombed, allegedly by a Syrian regime warplane on Saturday, February 8. 
Syrians gather at a site hit by barrel bombs, allegedly dropped by a regime helicopter on the opposition-controlled Mesekin Hananu district of Aleppo on February 8. 
In this handout photo released by the state-run SANA news agency on February 8, civilians wave national flags in Damascus as they take part in a rally in support of President al-Assad. 
A man stands next to debris in the road following a reported airstrike by Syrian government forces in Aleppo on February 8. 
Medical personnel look for survivors after a reported airstrike in Aleppo on Saturday, February 1. 
Syrians carry a dead body following an airstrike on February 1. 
A man walks amid debris and dust on January 31. 
An injured man is covered in dust after an airstrike on January 29. 
A man tries to fix electrical wires in Aleppo on January 27. 
Rebels and civilians check out a crater that activists say resulted from a Syrian government airstrike on an Aleppo bus station on Tuesday, January 21. 
Men rush to a site that Syrian government forces reportedly hit in Aleppo on January 21. 
Buildings lie in ruins in Aleppo on Sunday, January 19, after reported air raids by Syrian government planes. 
A child collects items from a garbage pile in Douma, northeast of the capital, on Saturday, January 18. 
A piece of exploded mortar lies in a street in Daraya, a Syrian city southwest of Damascus, on Friday, January 17. Photos: Syrian civil war in 2014 "Turkey will never tolerate any traps against our peace, stability or sense of brotherhood," Erdogan said.
At the same time, the Turkish government says it stands with Kurds on both sides of the Syrian border unnerved by ISIS' advance.
Cavusoglu rejected the suggestion that Turkey had hung back, saying it has "never acted reluctantly on this issue. "
He also denied "discrimination on a sectarian basis" -- i.e., not choosing to act because Kurds were the primary victims in Kobani -- was in play in Turkey's decisions.
Last week, Parliament passed a resolution last week authorizing action against the terrorist group. The main opposition party, the Republican People's Party, said it will back this motion to authorize the army's ground operations as long as it is limited to rescuing Kobani and repelling ISIS.
Witnesses: ISIS' gets reinforced, situation 'very bad'
If ISIS manages to take Kobani, it will control a complete swath of land between its self-declared capital of Raqqa, Syria, and Turkey -- a stretch of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles).
The United States wants Turkey to do more, U.S. administration officials said, and is urging Turkey to at least fire artillery at ISIS targets across the border.
Witnesses inside Kobani told CNN that airstrikes Wednesday had been welcome but that the situation worsened Thursday.
One fighter said that the situation was "very bad" and that ISIS had received reinforcements, in the form of a "large" number of fighters and vehicles, overnight.
The fighter said ISIS troops have re-entered the eastern side of the city and called for the U.S.-led coalition to launch airstrikes there, where the onslaught is greatest. He said there had been only two strikes Thursday morning.
A media activist also in the town described intense street-to-street fighting around the Kurdish security forces' headquarters, near the center of Kobani, as well as in the south of the town.
He also called for more airstrikes against ISIS, saying the two so far Thursday were not enough.
The U.S. military announced Thursday that it had launched six airstrikes south of Kobani, destroying two buildings, one tank, one heavy machine gun, as well as hitting one large and two small groups of ISIS fighters. Another three airstrikes north of Kobani hit two small ISIS groups and destroyed two buildings.
This was on top of other coalition efforts to go after the Islamist extremist group, including a pair of U.S. airstrikes near Sinjar in Iraq.
Oil and crime make ISIS rich
CNN's Nic Robertson, Hamdi Alkhshali, Ray Sanchez, Ingrid Formanek, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Adam Levine contributed to this report.
No comments:
Post a Comment