DHAKA: Saudi Arabia is sending troops and fighter jets to Turkey’s Incirlik military base ahead of a possible ground invasion of Syria.

The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, confirmed the deployment in a statement to the Yeni Şafak newspaper on Saturday, days before a temporary ceasefire is due to come into force, reports independent.co.uk.

‘Saudi Arabia declared its determination against Daesh (the Arabic term for Isis) by saying that they were ready to send both jets and troops,’ he said.

‘At every coalition meeting we have always emphasized the need for an extensive result-oriented strategy in the fight against the Daesh terrorist group.’

‘If we have such a strategy, then Turkey and Saudi Arabia may launch an operation from the land.’

He confirmed that planes and military personnel were being sent to Incirlik, in Adana near the Syrian border, but said numbers had not been confirmed.

Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, said Russia’s intervention would not help Assad stay in power in an interview published on Saturday.

‘There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future,’ he told a German newspaper.

Co-operation with Turkey could prove problematic if Saudi Arabia follows its definition of ‘terrorists’ to include Kurdish fighters, who have been one of the most effective forces against Isis on the ground.

Cavusoglu’s statement also raised the possibility of conflict between Turkey and Russia, which he accused of hitting the so-called Islamic State with only 12 percent of its air strikes.

‘Russia’s target is supporting Assad, we all know that,’ he added.

BDST: 1633 HRS, FEB 13, 2016
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