Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers arrive in Turkey
Turkey has granted access to Peshmerga fighters from Iraq, who will cross into Syria to take on Islamic State militants
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
About 100 Peshmerga fighters from Iraqi Kurdistan have arrived at Sanliurfa airport in south-eastern Turkey, on their way to join the fight against Islamic State militants in Kobane.
Another group of fighters crossed into Turkey in a convoy of 80 lorries carrying heavy weapons towards the border with Syria, the BBC reports.
Turkey agreed to let the Peshmerga cross its territory after coming under increasing international pressure to play a more active role in the US-led coalition against Islamic State, Al Jazeera reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Last week the Iraqi Kurdish regional government in Irbil approved the deployment of Peshmerga fighters to Syria.The Turkish government said it will admit only soldiers who do not have links with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is banned in Turkey and regarded as a terrorist organisation in the US and EU, according to The Guardian.Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the BBC that Turkey will only support the international coalition if there is an "integrated policy" which includes action against the forces of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Political cartoons for February 8Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include going down the drain, American history, and more
-
Touring the vineyards of southern BoliviaThe Week Recommends Strongly reminiscent of Andalusia, these vineyards cut deep into the country’s southwest
-
American empire: a history of US imperial expansionDonald Trump’s 21st century take on the Monroe Doctrine harks back to an earlier era of US interference in Latin America
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military