‘Our strategy is reliant on something that is not yet in place’
- Britain calls on Turkey to do more to help Syrian Kurds
The White House has admitted that military advances by the Islamic State in Syria show the limits of American policy to “roll back” its fighters without committing US ground troops, but insisted a long-term coalition strategy will still defeat the militant group.
“There are limitations associated with the exclusive use of air power,” said President Obama’s spokesman, Josh Earnest, when pressed on Isis advances on Kobani in a briefing for reporters in Washington. “Our strategy [in Syria] is reliant on something that is not yet in place … a Syrian opposition that can take the fight to Isil,” he added, using an alternative acronym for the group.
Speaking at the Pentagon after a meeting with top generals, President Obama himself added: “It remains a difficult mission. As I’ve indicated from the start, this is not something that is going to be solved overnight.”
The increasing gloominess about short-term prospects for Kobani was echoed by the secretary of state, John Kerry, who met the UK foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, in Washington to discuss a British offer to help train other Syrian rebel groups to take on Isis.
But Hammond suggested there was currently limited appetite for direct British military intervention in Syria and called instead for Turkey to do more to tackle the deepening crisis on its border.
“We would need to see a military need, something we could do that is not already being done, and we would need to be persuaded that in the grand scheme of things it is better for the UK to dilute its effort between Syria and Iraq rather than concentrating on Iraq as we are at the moment,” said Hammond when asked about UK support. “We would also frankly need to be in a position where public and parliamentary opinion in the UK was supportive … we would want to have a sense that public opinion has moved to a point where it would be supportive of such action.”
Hammond called on Turkey to support Kurdish forces operating in Syria, despite their alleged connection with separatists operating in Turkey, a call likely to be echoed tomorrow when the US general John Allen visits Ankara for talks.
“The Kurdish elements within Syria are an important part of the equation in holding the line against Isil and clearly the Turks, because they are physically contiguous, can assist with the supply of equipment and support to them,” said Hammond.
But the US and UK provided a mixed response to Turkish requests in return for a Nato-enforced buffer zone on the Syrian border to help deal with the flow of refugees.
“It’s worth examining. It’s worth looking at very, very closely,” said Kerry, who claimed it would be on the agenda when Allen visits Turkey.
In contrast, Earnest said a buffer zone was “not something under consideration right now”.
The Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby, called for “strategic patience” in assessing Isis progress in Syria. “Air strikes alone are not going to save the town of Kobani,” he said. “There’s an element of strategic patience needed.”
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