De kurdiske styrker, der forsøger at slå tilbage mod jihadister i den syriske by Kobani, kan se frem til at blive styrket.
Mandag siger den tyrkiske udenrigsminister, Mevlüt Cavusoglu, at Tyrkiet er begyndt at hjælpe irakiske kurdere med at krydse landets grænser til Syrien, så de kan slutte sig til kampen mod Islamisk Stat (IS).
Kobani ligger blot få kilometer fra den syrisk-tyrkiske grænse.
- Vi hjælper peshmerga-styrker til at krydse grænsen ind til Kobani, siger ministeren på et pressemøde i den tyrkiske hovedstad, Ankara.
- Vi ønsker ikke at se Kobani falde, siger han uden at give nærmere oplysninger om, hvordan troppeforstærkningen foregår.
Ny kurs fra Tyrkiet
Meldingen fra Ankara udgør en betragtelig kursændring fra Tyrkiet, der indtil nu har afvist at lade kurdiske soldater krydse dets grænser.
De tyrkiske sikkerhedsstyrker har i 30 år udkæmpet en blodig konflikt med Kurdistans Arbejderparti (PKK), hvis kamp for selvstyre har kostet 40.000 mennesker livet.
Ikke desto mindre har Tyrkiet gennem de seneste år opbygget et nogenlunde forhold til de kurdiske myndigheder i den kurdiske region i Irak, som kontrollerer peshmerga-styrkerne.
Pres fra andre lande
I den seneste tid er Tyrkiet kommet under stigende pres fra det internationale samfund for at øge støtten til den internationale koalition, der arbejder på at gøre livet surt for IS.
Tyrkerne har blandt andet afvist USA's ønske om at bruge den tyrkiske luftbase Incirlik i forbindelse med koalitionens bombetogter i Syrien.
AFP skriver, at Tyrkiet formentlig fortsat vil forsøge at forhindre styrker fra PKK i at komme ind i Syrien.
Syrian Kurdish women stands outside tents in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee children from the Syrian town of Kobani walk besitde their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee woman from the Syrian town of Kobani washes her dishes in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee family from the Syrian town of Kobani rests beside their tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee child from the Syrian town of Kobani washes his face in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) Syrian Kurdish refugees that fled the Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, walk past tents in a refugee camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, in the Turkish Sanliurfa province, on October 16, 2014. Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were holding out on October 16 against jihadists in Kobane, as an Islamic State (IS) offensive on the Syrian border town entered its second month. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) : Syrian Kurdish refugees who fled the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab (known as Kobane by the Kurds), gather outside tents in a refugee camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, in the Turkish Sanliurfa province, on October 16, 2014. Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were holding out on October 16 against jihadists in Kobane, as an Islamic State (IS) offensive on the Syrian border town entered its second month. (Foto: © Zein Al-Rifai, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee from the Syrian town of Kobani hangs her clothes in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) : A Syrian Kurdish boy stands in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) Syrian Kurdish refugees who fled the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab (known as Kobane by the Kurds), receive towels in a refugee camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, in the Turkish Sanliurfa province, on October 16, 2014. Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were holding out on October 16 against jihadists in Kobane, as an Islamic State (IS) offensive on the Syrian border town entered its second month. (Foto: © Zein Al-Rifai, Scanpix) A Syrian Kurdish girl is reflected in a puddle in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014 during sun rise. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee children from the Syrian town of Kobani walk besitde their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) A Syrian Kurdish woman walks in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) Syrian Kurdish woman walks in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) Syrian Kurdish man stands in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) A Syrian Kurdish woman walks in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014 during sun rise. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) A Syrian Kurdish woman stands outside tents in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee child from the Syrian town of Kobani peeks our of a tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 16, 2014. The United States is bombing targets in Kobani for humanitarian purposes to relieve defenders of the Syrian town and give them time to organize against Islamic State militants, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) Syrian refugee children who fled from Kobane, shout slogans against Islamic State in a refugee camp at Suruc district, Sanliurfa, Turkey, 16 October 2014. Islamic State militants were retreating from areas of Kobane, a key Kurdish town in northern Syria on the border with Turkey, as the jihadists faced a combination of US-led airstrikes and attacks by Kurdish fighters. But US officials have warned that Kobane could still be overrun by the jihadists. (Foto: © Tolga Bozoglu, Scanpix)
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Syrian Kurdish women stands outside tents in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee children from the Syrian town of Kobani walk besitde their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee woman from the Syrian town of Kobani washes her dishes in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee family from the Syrian town of Kobani rests beside their tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee child from the Syrian town of Kobani washes his face in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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Syrian Kurdish refugees that fled the Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, walk past tents in a refugee camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, in the Turkish Sanliurfa province, on October 16, 2014. Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were holding out on October 16 against jihadists in Kobane, as an Islamic State (IS) offensive on the Syrian border town entered its second month. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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: Syrian Kurdish refugees who fled the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab (known as Kobane by the Kurds), gather outside tents in a refugee camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, in the Turkish Sanliurfa province, on October 16, 2014. Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were holding out on October 16 against jihadists in Kobane, as an Islamic State (IS) offensive on the Syrian border town entered its second month. (Foto: © Zein Al-Rifai, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee from the Syrian town of Kobani hangs her clothes in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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: A Syrian Kurdish boy stands in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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Syrian Kurdish refugees who fled the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab (known as Kobane by the Kurds), receive towels in a refugee camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, in the Turkish Sanliurfa province, on October 16, 2014. Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were holding out on October 16 against jihadists in Kobane, as an Islamic State (IS) offensive on the Syrian border town entered its second month. (Foto: © Zein Al-Rifai, Scanpix)
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A Syrian Kurdish girl is reflected in a puddle in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014 during sun rise. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee children from the Syrian town of Kobani walk besitde their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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A Syrian Kurdish woman walks in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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Syrian Kurdish woman walks in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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Syrian Kurdish man stands in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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A Syrian Kurdish woman walks in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014 during sun rise. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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A Syrian Kurdish woman stands outside tents in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee child from the Syrian town of Kobani peeks our of a tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 16, 2014. The United States is bombing targets in Kobani for humanitarian purposes to relieve defenders of the Syrian town and give them time to organize against Islamic State militants, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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Syrian refugee children who fled from Kobane, shout slogans against Islamic State in a refugee camp at Suruc district, Sanliurfa, Turkey, 16 October 2014. Islamic State militants were retreating from areas of Kobane, a key Kurdish town in northern Syria on the border with Turkey, as the jihadists faced a combination of US-led airstrikes and attacks by Kurdish fighters. But US officials have warned that Kobane could still be overrun by the jihadists. (Foto: © Tolga Bozoglu, Scanpix)
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/ritzau/AFP