A Syrian Kurdish militia said on Wednesday it had recovered full control of the border town of Tel Abyad after Islamic State fighters raided its outskirts the day before in preparation for a larger assault, Reuters reported.
Backed by U.S.-led air strikes, the Kurdish YPG militia and smaller Syrian rebel groups captured Tel Abyad from Islamic State on June 15, severing an important supply route for the militants between the Turkish border and its de facto capital of Raqqa city to the south.
The YPG militia said the militants entered Tel Abyad's eastern periphery on Tuesday. Redur Xelil, the spokesman, said three Islamic State militants had been killed, while another had blown himself up with an explosive belt.
"The situation in Tel Abyad is over and under control," he told Reuters. "They were preparing a big operation like Kobani."
Islamic State went back on the offensive in Syria last week, raiding Kurdish-controlled Kobani - also known as Ayn al-Arab - while simultaneously launching an attack on government-held areas of the northeastern city of Hasaka.
The militants' raid on Kobani last week killed more than 220 civilians. The YPG said it reestablished full control over Kobani on Saturday, killing more than 60 Islamic State militants who had raided the town.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the YPG had reestablished control over the Tel Abyad district raided on Tuesday. But with such a low death toll among Islamic State fighters, it questioned where the remaining militants had gone.
The Syrian military has also been able to regain areas of the northeastern city of Hasaka lost to Islamic State in its attack last week.
Turkey Preserves Border
Turkish newspapers have carried reports that the government is considering creating a buffer zone across the border, days after Erdogan said Turkey would never allow the formation of a Kurdish state along its southern borders.
Turkey is one of the United States' key strategic allies on the frontiers of Syria and Iraq, despite strains in recent years. America has an air base at Incirlik in southern Turkey though it is not currently used for strikes against Islamic State inside Syria.
The AK Party Erdogan led to power 13 years ago lost its overall majority at June 7 polls and is now seeking a coalition partner. But the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), one possible partner despite past animosity, would not back Erdogan's plans for a reformed, powerful presidency.
"Even before a government has been established, the drums of war are being beaten for vested interests," CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu wrote on his official Twitter account. "War is not a child's game nor a vehicle to renew one's image.
"A good politician knows that feeding off chaos and war will bring disaster instead of success. "This country is not a plaything for your ambition," he said.
The president on Monday chaired a National Security Council meeting, which voiced concern about a 'terrorism' threat from across the border.
Acting Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu echoed the sentiments in a speech to his party in parliament.
"Turkey cannot remain indifferent to cross-border developments that could destroy the regional balances.
"We would neither allow Turkey to face a fait accompli nor would we plunge it into an adventure," he said.
Backed by U.S.-led air strikes, the Kurdish YPG militia and smaller Syrian rebel groups captured Tel Abyad from Islamic State on June 15, severing an important supply route for the militants between the Turkish border and its de facto capital of Raqqa city to the south.
The YPG militia said the militants entered Tel Abyad's eastern periphery on Tuesday. Redur Xelil, the spokesman, said three Islamic State militants had been killed, while another had blown himself up with an explosive belt.
"The situation in Tel Abyad is over and under control," he told Reuters. "They were preparing a big operation like Kobani."
Islamic State went back on the offensive in Syria last week, raiding Kurdish-controlled Kobani - also known as Ayn al-Arab - while simultaneously launching an attack on government-held areas of the northeastern city of Hasaka.
The militants' raid on Kobani last week killed more than 220 civilians. The YPG said it reestablished full control over Kobani on Saturday, killing more than 60 Islamic State militants who had raided the town.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the YPG had reestablished control over the Tel Abyad district raided on Tuesday. But with such a low death toll among Islamic State fighters, it questioned where the remaining militants had gone.
The Syrian military has also been able to regain areas of the northeastern city of Hasaka lost to Islamic State in its attack last week.
Turkey Preserves Border
Turkish newspapers have carried reports that the government is considering creating a buffer zone across the border, days after Erdogan said Turkey would never allow the formation of a Kurdish state along its southern borders.
Turkey is one of the United States' key strategic allies on the frontiers of Syria and Iraq, despite strains in recent years. America has an air base at Incirlik in southern Turkey though it is not currently used for strikes against Islamic State inside Syria.
The AK Party Erdogan led to power 13 years ago lost its overall majority at June 7 polls and is now seeking a coalition partner. But the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), one possible partner despite past animosity, would not back Erdogan's plans for a reformed, powerful presidency.
"Even before a government has been established, the drums of war are being beaten for vested interests," CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu wrote on his official Twitter account. "War is not a child's game nor a vehicle to renew one's image.
"A good politician knows that feeding off chaos and war will bring disaster instead of success. "This country is not a plaything for your ambition," he said.
The president on Monday chaired a National Security Council meeting, which voiced concern about a 'terrorism' threat from across the border.
Acting Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu echoed the sentiments in a speech to his party in parliament.
"Turkey cannot remain indifferent to cross-border developments that could destroy the regional balances.
"We would neither allow Turkey to face a fait accompli nor would we plunge it into an adventure," he said.
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