By M. Bilal Kenasari
WASHINGTON
The U.S. on Friday said that Turkey plays an important role in the fight against Daesh, also known as ISIL.
“They - Turkey - have taken steps on every aspect of our anti-ISIL coalition, which is not just military,” said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “It is also cracking down on foreign fighters. It's also about financing. It's also about delegitimizing ISIL.”
Psaki's comments came after Director of U.S. National Intelligence James Clapper told a Senate committee on Thursday that Turkey does not place a high priority on fighting Daesh – leading to a flow of foreign fighters through its country into Syria.
Turkey is often accused of not being able to control its more than 500-mile (800-kilometer) long border with Syria, sometimes referred to as a “highway to terrorism.”
But Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said his country is doing more than its share to fight Daesh. He has also blamed Western countries for not readily sharing intelligence about potential foreign fighters who are coming into the country and traveling to Syria.
“Turkey’s only fault is to have a border with Syria,” Davutoglu said last month. “We need intelligence telling us who is a suspect so Turkey can take precautions.”
Nearly 2 million Syrian refugees have fled to Turkey in the almost four years of civil war in Syria, according to the UN.
By comparison, Germany has allowed in 70,000 Syrians since 2012, while, Canada has pledged to shelter 1,300 Syrians during the next two years.
Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, said Turkey has spent nearly $5 billion on Syrian refugees.
