Turkey holds security summit over its role in anti-ISIL fight

AA Photo

With all eyes turned to Washington to hear the United States’ strategy to combat extremist jihadists in Iraq and Syria, the Turkish government is pondering its potential contribution to the anti-terror international coalition.
 
A security summit is being held Sept. 10 in the Turkish capital Ankara under the leadership of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and with the participation of senior military and government officials.
 
The summit comes one day before U.S. President Barack Obama is set to outline a broad strategy in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) early Sept. 11.

A key international summit will also then be convened in Saudi Arabia with the participation of potential members of the core coalition, established under U.S. leadership. Turkey will be represented by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu at the meeting, which U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will also attend.
 
The meetings follow U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s visit to Ankara on Sept. 8, where he discussed methods of cooperation between the two countries against ISIL. Turkey is set to be included in the coalition, but it is expected to have a passive contribution because of its 49 citizens who have been held as hostages by ISIL since June 11.
 
Turkey’s main contribution would be to increase its border security to stop the infiltration of foreign fighters into Syria and Iraq to join the ISIL, to deepen intelligence cooperation and sharing with Western countries, to assist the coalition by easing logistic transportation, and to continue effective humanitarian assistance to those in need - especially in northern Iraq.
 
Along with from Davutoğlu, Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel, Land Forces...

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