Iran trying to convince Turkey to intervene in Kobani

Ankara, however, has called for alliance with moderate Syrian rebels to push back jihadists, oust Tehran ally Assad

By AFP 9 October 2014, 11:33 pm

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Islamic State (IS) militants (Rear) stand next to an IS flag atop a hill in the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobane by the Kurds, as seen from the Turkish-Syrian border, with Turkish troops in foreground, in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 6, 2014. (photo credit: AFP/ARIS MESSINIS)

TEHRAN — Iran has begun talks with Turkey aimed at convincing it to help stop Islamic State group jihadists from taking the key Syrian border town of Kobani, an official said Thursday.

“Iran will take any action to help the Kurdish (people) of Kobani in the framework of the support that it provides to the Syrian government to combat terrorism,” Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdollahian said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.

Abdollahian said Tehran was in talks with Turkey.

“In our initial talks with Turkey, we found out that this country is not in favor of an aggravation of the crisis in the region and we hope that will play a positive role.”

He also said Ankara can “play the most important role to help Syrian refugees go back home.”

IS jihadists seized a third of Kobani Thursday in fighting that killed dozens, as calls grew for ground action to support Kobani’s beleaguered Kurdish defenders.

But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after meeting the head of NATO that it was “not realistic” to expect Ankara to “lead a ground operation on its own.” He added that there could be no peace in Syria without the ouster of embattled president Bashar Assad and that a ground operation in coordination with moderate Syrian rebels should be considered.

Turkish soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint as Syrian refugees from Kobani arrive at the Turkey-Syria border crossing of Mursitpinar near Suruc, Turkey, late Wednesday, October 1, 2014. (photo credit: AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Iran is one of Assad’s staunchest allies and has sent members of its Revolutionary Guard to aid the regime in its fight against the rebels.

Ankara is under pressure over its inaction, and protests in Kurdish areas of Turkey have sparked clashes that claimed at least 23 lives and forced authorities to impose a curfew in six provinces.

The world’s most numerous stateless people, Kurds are spread across Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. Kurdish militants have waged a deadly insurgency for three decades for self-rule in Turkey.

Meanwhile, in Syria, at least 25 people, including four children, were killed Thursday in multiple regime air strikes on Irbin, a town just east of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that dozens more people had been wounded.

The toll was expected to rise further, the Britain-based group said, because a number of the injured were in serious condition.

Irbin is under opposition control and lies in the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus, which is a key rebel stronghold.

The region has come under increasing regime fire in recent months as the army steps up a campaign to retake territory around the capital from which rebels launch missiles at Damascus neighbourhoods.

More than 180,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began in March 2011.