U.S., Turkey plan to carve out 'Islamic State-free zone' in Syria

1	The United States and Turkey are finalizing plans for a military campaign to push the Islamic State group out of a strip of Syrian territory along the Turkish border, a move that would further embroil Turkey in Syria's civil war and set up a potential conflict with U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.
2	"Details remain to be worked out, but what we are talking about with Turkey is cooperating to support partners on the ground in northern Syria who are countering ISIL," said a senior administration official traveling with President Obama, who was in Ethiopia on Monday.
3	He used one of several common acronyms for Islamic State.
4	"The goal is to establish an ISIL-free zone and ensure greater security and stability along Turkey's border with Syria," the official said.
5	"Any joint military efforts will not include the imposition of a no-fly zone."
6	"As the presidents discussed in their phone call on Wednesday, we will work in concert towards a political settlement to the conflict in Syria," the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss the closed-door discussions.
7	The U.S. has long rejected Turkish and other requests for a no-fly zone to halt Syrian government air raids, fearing it would draw U.S. forces further into the civil war.
8	The discussions come amid a major tactical shift in Turkey's approach to Islamic State.
9	After months of reluctance, Turkish warplanes started striking militant targets in Syria last week, following a long-awaited agreement allowing the U.S. to launch its own strikes from Turkey's strategically located Incirlik Air Base.
10	On Sunday, Turkey called a meeting of its NATO allies for Tuesday to discuss threats to its security, as well as its airstrikes.
11	A Turkish-driven military campaign to push Islamic State out of territory along the Turkish border is likely to complicate matters on the ground.
12	Kurdish fighters in Syria control most of the 565-mile boundary with Turkey, and have warned Ankara against any military intervention in northern Syria.
13	In a series of cross-border strikes since Friday, Turkey has not only targeted Islamic State but also Kurdish fighters affiliated with forces battling the extremists in Syria and Iraq.
14	The Syrian Kurds are among the most effective ground forces battling the Islamic State group and have been aided by U.S.-led airstrikes, but Turkey fears they could revive an insurgency against Ankara in pursuit of an independent state.
15	The main Syrian Kurdish militia - the YPG or the People's Protection Units - is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey and maintains bases in remote parts of northern Iraq.
16	It was not immediately clear how an Islamic State-free zone would be established along the Turkish-Syrian border.
17	In comments published Monday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey and the United States had no plans to send ground troops into Syria but wanted to see Syria's moderate opposition forces replace Islamic State near the Turkish border.
18	In a reflection of the complexities involved, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday refused to draw a distinction between the Islamic State group and the PKK.
19	"There is no difference between PKK and Daesh. You can't say that PKK is better because it is fighting Daesh," Cavusoglu said, using an Arabic abbreviation for the group.
20	The PKK is fighting Islamic State "for power, not for peace, not for security."
21	Cavusoglu, who spoke to reporters during an official visit to Lisbon, said he would inform Turkey's NATO partners about the security threats his country is facing at the Brussels meeting Tuesday.
22	"We expect solidarity and support from our NATO allies," he said without elaborating.
23	A Turkish official said Turkey and the United States were discussing "the formation of a de-facto safe zone" which would facilitate the return of Syrian refugees from Turkey.
24	He said Turkey was prepared to provide all necessary assistance to the zone, including "air support."
25	He would not elaborate or say where the zone would be located, citing operational concerns.
26	He requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.
27	Davutoglu, the Turkish prime minister, said Turkey and the United States had no plans to send ground troops into Syria but said they had agreed to provide air cover to moderate Syrian fighters.
28	"If we are not going to send land units to the ground - and we will not - then those forces acting as ground forces cooperating with us should be protected," Davutoglu told a group of senior journalists over the weekend.
29	His comments were published in Hurriyet newspaper.
30	Davutoglu also said Turkey wanted to clear its border of Islamic State extremists.
31	"We don't want to see Daesh at our border," Hurriyet quoted him as saying.
32	"We want to see the moderate opposition take its place."
33	The Turkish leader also said Turkey's action against Islamic State has "changed the regional game."
34	Despite the U.S. and Turkey's shared interests in fighting Islamic State, the Turks have also prioritized defeating Syrian President Bashar Assad.
35	While the U.S. says Assad has lost legitimacy, it has not taken direct military action to try to remove him from office.
36	Times staff writer Christi Parsons reported from Addis Ababa, along with Associated Press reporting from Beirut; Ankara, Turkey; and Lisbon.