US, Turkey ‘not serious’ in fighting Daesh: Analyst
The United States and its Middle Eastern ally Turkey are “not serious” in their fight against the Daesh (ISIL) terrorists, considering Washington and Ankara’s reluctance to join the forces who are truly combating the terror group, says an American political analyst.
Derek Ford, a New York-based scholar, made the remarks with regards to a recent pledge by American and Turkish officials to deal a “lasting defeat” to Daesh.
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, as well as Defense Minister Fikri Isik on Friday in the Turkish capital of Ankara and held talks over the battle against the terrorist group.
According to Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook, during talks with Turkish leaders, Carter reaffirmed American support for the strategic alliance between Washington and its NATO ally in the face of shared threats.
“Any proclamation by the United States government that the Daesh is their primary concern in the Middle East has to be taken severely lightly and with extreme skepticism,” Ford told Press TV on Friday.
Ever since the creation of Daesh, the US has been seeking to “institute regime change in Syria” and “counter the rise of Iran… as a regional power,” Ford argued.
“If the United States was really serious about combating Daesh, then they would be seeking to unite with the forces who are actually doing the bulk of the fighting,” the analyst continued, stressing that Turkey was not one of those forces.
Carter’s visit to Turkey came at a time when an estimated 2,000 Turkish troops had entered Iraq, without a mandate from Baghdad, and were allegedly fighting Daesh.
Baghdad has repeatedly asked Turkey to withdraw its forces, describing Turkey’s military presence in Iraq as an infringement of its sovereignty.
Carter said he would stress the need to respect Iraq’s sovereignty during his visit to Turkey.
The US and its allies have also been conducting airstrikes against Daesh in Iraq since 2014, but the air campaign has failed to bear any meaningful results.
