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Why is Turkey so Reluctant to Fight ISIS in Syria?

As the Islamic State closes down on the Syrian city of Kobane, why is Turkey so reluctant to intervene in the fight against the jihadists?

Turkey has warned that the strategic Syrian city of Kobane, which is close to its border, is about to fall to Islamic State militants. If their fighters succeed, they will gain control a long stretch of the Syrian-Turkey border. Turkish troops and tanks have lined the border but have not crossed into Syria, despite calls for military intervention from many Kurdish voices across the country. What should Turkey do? Should it press the US-led coalition to start a ground operation against IS militants? Or should it move into Syria to stop the advances of the Islamic State?

(Photo: Islamic State flag flutters on hillside in the Syrian town of Kobane. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

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55 minutes

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Tue 7 Oct 2014 17:05GMT

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  • Tue 7 Oct 2014 17:05GMT

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