Turkish jets conduct rare anti-ISIS campaign flight over Syrian airspace

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Two Turkish warplanes flew Monday over Syrian airspace for two hours in a rare show of participation in the US-led international campaign against Islamic State (ISIS).

Although Turkey is a member of the campaign, known as Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), it has not been an active participant due to US support for Kurdish forces in Syria.

“In the framework of Operation Inherent Resolve, two F-16 [jets] of the [Turkish] Air Forces Command flew over Syrian airspace today between 10:00-12:00 [am],” tweeted the Turkish defense ministry, without elaborating on the purpose of the flight.

Turkey is one of 68 countries which joined the United States army-led operation to fight the newly-emerged ISIS self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq in October 2014.

Ankara began expressing discontent when the coalition started providing military and logistic support to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, and chose to reel in its OIR activity as a result. However, it did conduct occasional strikes against ISIS on the Turkey-Syria border.

Relations between Turkey and the US have been harmed over Washington's backing of the YPG, which Ankara sees as the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) - designated by both countries as a terrorist organization.

In what could be its latest show of support to the group, Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday reported the US delivery of 200 trucks of logistical support to the YPG via the Kurdistan Region.

On the same day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - currently in New York on the eve of the 74th UN General Assembly - spoke on the phone with US President Donald Trump to discuss regional developments and bilateral relations, according to the Turkish Presidency office.

The two NATO allies agreed in August on the establishment of a safe zone in northern Syria to relocate Syrian refugees who fled to Turkey during the Syrian civil war from 2011 onwards. Erdogan has said that up to three million refugees will be returned.

The sixth joint flight over the planned safe zone took place on Saturday with two helicopters from either side flying over the region.

However, Turkey has expressed dissatisfaction in safe zone progress. Erdogan has said that the flying of a few helicopters over the area is inadequate, demanding more US action.

Since Turkey regards the YPG as a terrorist organization, Monday's flights could stoke more fear in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) whose residents have already voiced fears of a possible Turkish offensive. The NES is militarily run by the SDF.

ISIS was declared defeated in March after their last holdout, Baghouz in Deir ez Zor, was captured by the Kurdish-dominated but multi-ethnic Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls about a third of Syrian territory. However, fears of an ISIS resurgence in Syria have been expressed by both regional and international powers.