Turkey renews OK for military operations in Syria, Iraq
Turkey’s state-run news agency says parliament has extended by another year a motion allowing cross-border military operations into Syria and Iraq against Kurdish militants and the Islamic State group.
The resolution, first passed in 2014, was renewed Oct. 1, the first and only item on the parliament’s agenda on the first day of the new legislative year. The state-run Anadolu Agency says it will remain in force until October 30, 2017.
The pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party voted against the bill, while the other three parties in parliament approved it.
Turkey sent troops and tanks into Syria in August to help Syrian opposition rebels re-take Islamic State group strongholds near the border and curb the advance of Syrian Kurdish militia, which are affiliated with Turkey’s outlawed Kurdish rebels. AP
Defense ministers discuss defusing South China Sea incidents
Singapore’s defense minister says countries need to look for practical ways to defuse incidents in the South China Sea.
China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands in South China Sea waters crucial for global commerce. The area is also rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves.
Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen told reporters Sept. 30 on the sidelines of a meeting in Hawaii that incidents may not necessarily involve military ships. He noted navies have established protocols for when they encounter each other at sea.
Instead, he says confrontations may develop between fishing vessels or other civilian ships.
Ng says Association of Southeast Asian Nation defense ministers and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter talked at their Hawaii meeting about ways to prevent incidents from escalating. AP
French military bolsters Iraq presence for Mosul offensive
French warplanes are flying over Iraq after the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier rejoined the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State extremists — and as the coalition prepares to try to take back the key city of Mosul.
France, which has suffered repeated attacks at home from IS-linked extremists, is ramping up its military presence in Iraq ahead of the offensive in Mosul, the largest city held by the extremists. The Iraqi government has been gearing up with support from the United States and other allies for the mission, which could mark a turning point in the fight against IS.
A French defense official said the Sept. 30 mission “in no way” constitutes the beginning of the battle for Mosul. The French official, speaking anonymously in line with defense policy, said preparations are still underway with the U.S. and other partners to coordinate the Mosul offensive. She would not provide details of Friday’s operation for the security of the pilots.
French planes have flown 32 missions over the past week, with Rafale jets destroying four targets with airstrikes and backing up Iraqi ground forces, according to a French military statement.
The Charles de Gaulle returned to the zone this week after undergoing maintenance in France, and is now on its third mission in the region since the French military started targeting IS two years ago in Iraq.
France expanded its airstrikes to IS targets in Syria last year. After an attack on Nice on Bastille Day in July killed 86, French President Francois Hollande ordered an artillery battery sent to Iraq to bolster the operation.
About 150 French forces with four Caesar artillery systems are now in the area around Qayara, 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of Mosul, according to the Defense Ministry. They are performing tactical missions for the coalition, and training Iraqi forces, according to military officials, but are not expected to engage in combat. French medical and logistics teams are also in place. AP