News Analysis: Turkey in high gear facing up to IS intrusion

Any Turkish military intervention in Syria would be too dangerous as it would drag the country into war in the world's most chaotic region, experts warned here on Tuesday.

Security analysts and academicians told Xinhua that the military options in Syria against Islamic State terrorist group (IS) would make the country an open target for any terrorist attacks.

"In case of a military intervention, Turkey would become an open target for possible IS attacks as the terrorist group has sleeping cells inside Turkey ready to be activated," said Oytun Orhan Oytun Orhan, security analyst at the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM).

Referring to the IS attacks in Tunisia last week where 39 tourists have been killed, Orhan said that IS could easily conduct terrorist attacks in Turkey targeting touristic resorts.

Turkish armed force (TSK) has deployed on Tuesday more than 30 howitzer artilleries, 20 military vehicles carrying soldiers alongside of the border, local media reported.

Turkish soldiers have also been digging ditch along the border against IS militants advances. The ditch has reached 500 meters long, according to the local Dogan news Agency.

Turkish forces have become face-to-face with IS militants for the first time as IS has taken the control of 100 kilometers long area along side of Turkey's border.

Turkey started to raise its voice in favor of a military intervention in Syria after Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) regained the control of the Syrian town of Tal Abyad from IS.

Ankara has long feared that its 15 million of Kurdish population mostly living in southeastern provinces of Turkey to join the establishment of a Kurdish state.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also recently announced that Turkey will never allow the establishment of a state in the north of Syria just next to Turkey's border. "We will continue our fight in that respect whatever the cost may be," he said.

National Security Council (MGK) had a meeting in Ankara on Monday to discuss the military options in Syria. "Turkey would take additional measures against terrorist acts targeting the civilians living in the region," wrote the MGK statement.

The council also expressed its concerns over Kurdish attempts to change the demography in Syria near Turkish border.

However Orhan said that it is very apparent that Turkey wouldn't involve any military act against the Kurdish forces as Ankara refrains from the reaction of the Kurdish people.

"Furthermore Kurdish forces achieved their gains in the region with the U.S. support and Ankara can't afford to be in conflict with U.S. policies in the region," he said.

Therefore, Turkish military is in a position to fight against IS and to handover the control of the area under IS rule to friendly Syrian opposition forces, he said.

Ankara, with this plan aims to cut off the contact of Kurdish forces intending to unite the three cantons of Rajova Jazira, Kobani and Afrin in Syria.

At first, Turkish forces could weaken IS positions with long range weapons while targeting to help the friendly Syrian opposition forces to take the control of the region, he said.

"But if the opposition forces would fail in taking the control of the region then it is most probable that TSK would directly involve in war inside Syria," he added.

Merve Demirkiran, Academician at International Relation department in Bahcesehir University argued that whatever the final target is, Turkey shouldn't involve in any military activity in the region alone.

"Ankara should seek the cooperation and support of international institutions like UN and NATO and the world powers," she said.

Otherwise it would be way too dangerous for Ankara to involve any military operation in the world most chaotic region, the Middle East, she warned. Endit