ISIS Offensive May Force NATO Intervention to Protect Turkey

Right now, NATO’s largest security concern is Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and its threats against other NATO states in eastern Europe.

But that may change very soon.

Turkey is a NATO member. While its Islamist government has become an unreliable partner for both the US and Israel, an Islamic State offensive on the Turkey-Syria border may force Turkey to call on NATO for support.

ISIS forces have advance onto and into the border town of Kobane, which is just on the Syrian side of the border.

Jenan Moussa, a reporter for Al Aan TV in Dubai, tweets that ISIS is defeating the Kurdish forces defending Kobane.

I’m reading that coalition planes hit targets near #Kobane. I am at Turkish border since morning, I didn’t hear or see any plane. @akhbar

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) October 6, 2014

#Break ‘ISIS entered #Kobane from both east &west. They are in the city. Street fights raging’ Kurdish activist in #Kobane tells me. @akhbar

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) October 6, 2014

YPG is evacuating last civilians out of #Kobane. Some people are still stuck inside. Situation escalating by the second. @akhbar

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) October 6, 2014

ISIS used booby trapped cars to force their way through Kurdish defense lines in city of #Kobane: my sources say. @akhbar

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) October 6, 2014

Everyone in #kobane is in danger. YPG says 1000s of civilian still inside. ISIS is in #kobane now. Fears that all will be killed. @akhbar

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) October 6, 2014

Plane still over #kobane. Kurdish guy next to me getting desperate. He raises his hands to sky &says ‘pls God, let them hit ISIS’ @akhbar

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) October 6, 2014

Moussa and a Wall Street Journal reporter both report that ISIS forces have pushed into Kobane and that they see the ISIS flag flying over hills on the outskirts of the city.

NATO says that it stands ready to intervene and protect Turkey if it become necessary. Kobane is barely on the Syrian side of the border, but ISIS has proven that border mean very little to it.

The US-led airstrikes appear to be having very little, if any, effect as ISIS advances.