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How to Tackle the Biggest Obstacle to Finishing the War with the Islamic State
(Washington Post) David Ignatius - The biggest obstacle to finishing the war against the Islamic State and beginning the stabilization of Syria is America's supposed friend and NATO ally Turkey. Granting Turkey's demands would make Syria more unstable and prolong the threat of radical Islamist terrorism there. While American and Turkish interests should converge, why does Turkey imprison American citizens, accuse Washington of fomenting a coup, and violate U.S. sanctions against Iran? Seven years into the Syrian war, observers need to admit some truths: The Turks allowed thousands of foreign radical Islamists to flow into Syria and create bases from which they threatened Europe and the U.S. These terrorists would still be in their capital of Raqqa, planning attacks, if the U.S. hadn't partnered with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces militia that Turkey hates so much. Meeting Turkish demands would mean abandoning the SDF, which did the fighting and dying against the Islamic State.