ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey would rather have an Islamic State on its southern borders than a Kurdish state loyal to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an international security and intelligence services group argued Thursday. The New York-based Soufan group said that recent gains made against the Islamic State (ISIS) by the PKK-affiliated Democratic Union Party (YPG) in Syria has given the Kurdish group control of areas extending more than 400 kilometers along Turkish borders. There is speculation in Turkey that Ankara is considering sending forces into Syria to create a buffer zone along its southern borders, as authorities bolster troops and security along the border. Gen. John Allen, President Barack Obama’s special representative for the Iraq and Syria campaign, visited Ankara on Tuesday to presumably discuss Turkish military plans in Syria. The PKK on the other hand has warned the Turkish government it would resume its armed struggle if Turkish forces carry out any action against Kurds in Syria, according to Soufan. The intelligence group said that a possible Turkish buffer zone would include areas between Azaz, north of Aleppo, and Jarablus, on the Euphrates river, preventing Kurdish territories in the east and west of Syria from linking up.
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