--- title: "Turkey enters war on ISIS just in time to steal victory from the Kurds" date: "2018-04-02" modified: "2020-10-22" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/turkey-enters-war-on-isis-just-in-time-to-steal-victory-from-the-kurds/" categories: - "Military News" tags: - "ISIS" --- # Turkey enters war on ISIS just in time to steal victory from the Kurds ![]() Five years into the Syrian Civil War and two years after the rise of ISIS, Turkish troops finally entered the fight on August 24th, with [*Operation* *Euphrates Shield*](). --- Turkish military officials say their artillery and rocket launchers [fired 224 rounds at 63 targets]() in two hours. Turkish Air Force planes also struck targets in the ISIS-held town of Jarablus, which Turkish troops captured later that day. It was ISIS' last stronghold along the Turkish border. ![]() *By 18:10 local time FSA troops, backed by the Turkish Armed Forces, controlled 90 percent of Jarablus. (Turkish Military photo via Twitter)* With tanks, warplanes, and special operations forces, Turkey also [seeks to stem the territory]() and influence captured by the Kurdish fighters in Northern Syria. [American air strikes are assisting]() Turkish forces. The operation aims to clear the Turkish-Syrian border of "[terrorist groups]()" to increase border security. Unfortunately, the Turkish government considers the Kurdish YPG, the most effective force fighting ISIS in Syria, a relative to a terrorist group – the Kurdistan Worker's Party, or PKK. Turkey has been fighting the PKK for 30 years. The 62-mile border area targeted by the Turks puts the NATO ally and its Syrian rebel forces on a collision course with U.S.- backed Kurdish and Arab fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces. [Skirmishes between the two groups have already started]() south of the town of Manbij, just 21 miles from Jarablus. ![]() *The area held by Turkey (purple) is expected to expand into the areas held by ISIS (black) and Kurdish fighters (yellow). (SyrianCivilWarMap.com)* Turkey gave the Kurdish fighters who captured Manbij from the Islamic State a week to leave the town and retreat East of the Euphrates River. The United States is backing its Turkish ally on the issue, and the Kurds are complying. More than [300 Kurdish and Arab-allied fighters died]() taking Manbij from ISIS, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Twitter account for the official spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led Coalition against the Islamic State said the move was to prepare for the eventual liberation of Raqqa, the de facto ISIS capital. The Syrian Democratic Forces have moved east across the Euphrates to prepare for the eventual liberation of Raqqa, Syria [\#defeatdaesh]() — OIR Spokesperson (@OIRSpox) [August 25, 2016]() Soon after the YPG withdrew past the river, [Turkish media reported]() Turkish artillery firing on YPG forces south of Jarablus. ![]() *Turkish Armed Forces shells a group of YPG terrorists in the west of Jarablus. (Turkish military photo via Twitter)* ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() ## More - [Brits fighting ISIS vow to avenge Manchester victims]() - [Meet Musa the Sniper, scourge of ISIS in Kobani]() - [This captured GoPro video shows what it’s like to fight the Kurds with ISIS]() - [ISIS’ last town in Iraq falls to Iraqi security forces]() - [The battle to retake this ISIS stronghold in Syria is getting ugly]() - [Top general says US commandos and Arab allies squeezing ISIS in Syria]() - [Military families ordered to leave US bases in Turkey]() - [Kurds say two American mercenaries were killed in Syria]()