Turks Renew Mandate for Military Ops in Syria, Iraq

ANKARA, Turkey — The Turkish parliament has voted in favor of a government resolution to renew a mandate allowing the military to conduct cross-border operations in neighboring Syria and Iraq. 
 
Turkey’s interim government voted in favor of the mandate together with two opposition parties. 
 
The mandate serves as a legal basis for Turkish airstrikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the autonomy-seeking Kurdish militants belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The present mandate runs out in October. 
                   
The mandate also authorizes the Turkish government to allow foreign troops to be based on Turkish soil.
 
"Armed PKK terror elements continue their existence in Iraq's northern region. It was observed that the number of other terror elements and the threat that they pose has increased significantly in Syria and Iraq ... Turkey which attributes great importance for the territorial integrity, national unity and stability of (our) neighbor Iraq, has to continue its military, political and diplomatic measures and initiatives increasingly against the presence of terrorist groups and the threats they bring in Iraq," the motion read.
                   
Late in August, Turkey formally joined the coalition forces fighting ISIL. Earlier in August, Turkey allowed the US military to use critical Turkish air bases to conduct strikes against the jihadist group. 
 
Meanwhile, the top US diplomat in Turkey said Thursday Sept. 3 that American aircraft will remain at Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base as long as required in the struggle against ISIL. 
 
"What the actual composition [of the US force] is will depend obviously on how the military campaign evolves and what the specific requirements are to be able to be most effective against DAESH [the Arabic acronym of ISIL]," US Ambassador to Turkey John Bass said in an interview on CNNTürk aired on Sept. 3. 

"In terms of duration, we expect that we will be here as long as is required to achieve the objective that we share, which is to degrade and ultimately defeat DAESH. So, we are thinking of this very much in terms of a set of objectives as opposed to a period of time." US Ambassador to Turkey John Bass said in an interview on CNNTürk aired on Sept. 3.
 
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