Well informed Turkish sources stated that Ankara is preparing for a ground operation in Jarabulus, nearby Syrian-Turkish borders and under the control of ISIS, in the few coming days.
The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that a minesweeper has arrived at Kilis, a city in south-central Turkey near the border with Syria. They added that this minesweeper is scheduled to begin demining the areas planted with mines by ISIS.
Fawzi Jan Berdi, an MP in the Turkish Parliament of the Development and Justice Party, has revealed that Turkey’s preparation for the military operation is struggling and still fighting ISIS and any other terrorist organization, he also added that all of this will continue in order to preserve the security of its citizens.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has cited from several other sources from Al-Hasakah Governorate that Rmelan airport, which will be used by US aircraft in operations against ISIS, is almost ready after expanding its runway during the last few weeks.
In Paris, defense chiefs from the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Australia, and Netherlands pledged to intensify their fight against ISIS, in an effort to capitalize on recent battlefield gains against the militants IN Syria and Iraq.
Following the talks, the US Defense Minister, Ashton Carter, confirmed that the main objective of the coalition fighting the Islamic State group was to destroy its power centers in Syria and Iraq. He told journalists the aim was to “destroy the ISIS cancer’s parent tumor in Iraq and Syria by collapsing its two power centers in Raqa and Mosul”. “Second, to combat the metastasis of the ISIS tumor worldwide,” he added.