Chinese Medicine in Malaria Treatment

Here an excerpt from the official annoucement of the Nobel Prize Committee in Sweden with some minor editorial adaptions:

Yesterday, October 5, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, decided to award the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with one half jointly to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites and the other half to Youyou Tu for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria.



Diseases caused by parasites have plagued humankind for millennia and constitute a major global health problem. In particular, parasitic diseases affect the world's poorest populations and represent a huge barrier to improving human health and wellbeing. This year's Nobel Laureates have developed therapies that have revolutionized the treatment of some of the most devastating parasitic diseases.

For some personal reason, my special interest is targeting the work of Youyou Tu 屠呦呦. That's why I concentrate on her work which introduced a well-known Chinese herbal plant for its ability to deliver a new kind of remedy against Malaria.



Malaria was traditionally treated by chloroquine or quinine, but with declining success. By the late 1960s, efforts to eradicate Malaria had failed and the disease was on the rise. At that time, Youyou Tu in China turned to traditional herbal medicine to tackle the challenge of developing novel Malaria therapies. From a large-scale screen of herbal remedies in Malaria-infected animals, an extract from the plant Artemisia annua emerged as an interesting candidate. However, the results were inconsistent, so Tu revisited the ancient literature and discovered clues that guided her in her quest to successfully extract the active component from Artemisia annua. Tu was the first to show that this component, later called Artemisinin, was highly effective against the Malaria parasite, both in infected animals and in humans. Artemisinin represents a new class of antimalarial agents that rapidly kill the Malaria parasites at an early stage of their development, which explains its unprecedented potency in the treatment of severe Malaria.

The picture below is showing a page about Artemisia annua [ Qing Hao青蒿 ] and which has been copied from a Chinese handbook on herbal medicine that happened to find its way into my private library. The book was published in 1989 [1st edition 1959], and I used it for my own translations about modern applications of Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM, especially for the treatment of AIDS with herbal components which seemed a promising alternative in those years when AIDS research was still at an early stage. That's why my translations of relevant Chinese publications, originating from serious Chinese specialists, attracted much interest from professional circles at that time. Soon it became clear that some traditional medical plants from China offered new opportunities for western research and opened ways for the lucrative exploitation of popular Chinese medicine.



The above page presents a drawing of Artemisia annua and a complete description of the plant together with some remarks on its preparation. The description of chemical components is followed by hints how to apply Artemisia in herbal medicine. Those hints are using the terminology of TCM and require a serious study of the matter.

The essential component in the treatment of Malaria [ NüeJi 疟疾 ] is Arteannuin [ QingHaoSu 青蒿素 ], better known as Artemisinin, and which I found in a handbook of available Chinese herbal medicine, published in 1991 (below). In that edition, Arteannuin / Artemisinin is already mentioned as a remedy against different forms of Malaria, its availability (tablets or injection fluid) and medication are included as well.





YouYou Tu together with one of her teachers in the 1950s while working in a laboratory
of the Chinese Herbal Medicine branch of China's Institute for Traditional Medicine.

Artemisinin in the Chinese Headlines



“中国神药”青蒿素在非洲拯救百万生命

"China's Miracle Drug" - In Africa, Artemisinin Saved One Million Lives



毛泽东要求研发抗疟疾药物

Mao Ze Dong asked to Start Research for a Malaria Remedy.

The related article is quoting a New York Times publication from 2012.

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Visitor from Stockholm

Escalation in Syria

Important News Updates further down !
Last Update: October 5, 2015

Last night, the Arabic channel of Al-Jazeera TV in Qatar came with further news describing an escalation in Syria, after Russian warplanes had begun their attacks of what they called positions of Islamic State forces and which are destabilizing Russia's only ally in the region, the already weakened regime of Bashir al-Assad in Damascus. However, first news received the day before about Syrian civilians perishing in operations that should be targeting only military positions made room for even worse reports about cruel attacks of civilian living quarters in different parts of Syria.

Foreign voices are criticizing Russia's president Putin for his hazarduous step to interfere in a volatile region, even more after bilateral talks have taken place between Putin and his high-ranking counterparts: Israel's prime minister Netanyanhu, the French president Hollande and U.S. President Obama. Now Turkey's strongman Erdogan made clear what he intends to tell Russia's president Putin when he would meet him in the coming days.




فرنسا تشترط على روسيا استهداف مواقع تنظيم الدولة و القاعدة لا غير وضمان سلامة المدنيين و رحيل الأسد

France reminds Russia to concentrate exclusively on positions of the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda and to ensure the security of citizens and the [emigration] of Assad.




أردوغان: سأتحدث مع بوتين عن العمليات الروسية بسوريا و سأنقل له أسفنا و انزعاجنا من مقتل المدنيين السوريين

Erdogan: I will speak to Putin about Russian operations in Syria and I will inform him about our affection and our irritation regarding the assassination of Syrian citizens.
[Quotation from last night's broacast of an interview granted by Turkey's president Erdogan to the Arabic channel of Al-Jazeera. An Arabic translation of Erdogan's exposition of the subject can be found below. Until now, there is no English version of the interview available.]






المعارضة السورية تقول إن الغارات الروسية تستهدف مدنيين و مواقع للجيش الحر و موسكو تنفي ذلك

The Syrian opposition says Russian [air] raids are targeting citizens and positions of the Free Syrian Army which Moscow denies.




تواصل الغارات الروسية على مناطق عدة في سوريا مخلفة قتلى و جرحى بين المدنيين

Russian [air] raids continue at numerous regions in Syria leaving behind dead and wounded citizens.






مقتل 100 و إصابة 200 في قصف لقوات النظام استهدف أسواقا شعبية بمدينتي الباب ودير حافر بريف حلب الشرقي

100 died and 200 were wounded during a bombing [in favour of] forces [loyal to] the regime and that was targeting popular markets in the townships of Al-Bab and Dayr Hafir in eastern Aleppo Governorate.
[Editor's Note: Dayr Hafir is situated in the neighbourhood of Al-Bab which is reportedly under full control of the Islamic State.]


From the Arabic website of Al-Arabiya TV in Dubai:

بالصور.. كيف يعيش الجنود الروس في سوريا
With pictures ... Russian soldiers in Syria - How are they living ?

U.S. President Obama on 3rd October 2015: Russia's strikes in Syria 'strengthening ISIL' قـال الـرئيس الأمريـكي أوبامـا أن الاستقرار للـتنظيم الإرهابـي ـ «داعش» يترتب على غارات من القوات الروسية في سوريا و رفض أوباما «حرباً بالوكالة» مع روسيا وتوقع «فشل» الغارات

Further News for 3rd October 2015: طهران تقيل قائد قواتها المقاتلة في سوريا لفشله Tehran has dismissed the commander of its combat forces in Syria for having failed. أفادت مصادر إيرانية أن طهران أقالت اللواء حسين همداني من قيادة قوات الحرس الثوري الإيراني المقاتلة في سوريا، بسبب ضعف أدائه وفشله في العمليات العسكرية المتتالية ضد قوات المعارضة السورية.ـ Iranian sources indicated that Tehran has dismissed brigadier general Hossein Hamadani as a commander of the fighters for Iran's Revolutionary Guard Forces in Syria for the reason of his weak performance and his failure in successive military operations against opposition forces in Syria. [Al-Arabiya] [Editor's Note: Hossein Hamadani is currently serving in Syria as both an advisor to the Syrian government during the Syrian Civil War and as commander for the special force of the Revolutionary Guards, the so-called Quds Force. In the frame of an Iranian support for the regime of Bashir al-Assad it should be noted that Lebanese Hezbollah fighters and who enjoy a close relationship with Iran are as well fighting in Syria to oppose the Islamic State.] Postscriptum on October 9, 2015: مقتل العميد حسين همداني القيادي في الحرس الثوري الإيراني بنيران تنظيم الدولة في ريف حلب Brigadier general Hossein Hamadani, commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, died under fire from the Islamic State in the rural environment of Aleppo. [Al-Jazeera TV]

News Update for October 4, 2015: ـ52ـ محرضاً سعودياً يدعون إلى النفير في سوريا 52 militant Saudis are calling for a mobilization in Syria. دعا 52 محرضاً هم أكاديميون ودعاة سعوديون إلى "النفير" في سوريا لقتال القوات الروسية.ـ 52 Saudi militants, among them academics and activists, are calling for a "mobilization" in Syria to fight Russian troops. [Al-Arabiya]

News Update for October 5, 2015: تركيا تقول انها اعترضت مقاتلة روسية اخترقت مجالها الجوي Turkey said it intercepted a Russian bomber entering its air space. اعلنت وزارة الخارجية التركية الاثنين أن مقاتلات اف 16 تركية اعترضت، السبت، مقاتلة روسية انتهكت المجال الجوي التركي عند الحدود السورية (جنوب شرق).ـ [This] Monday the Turkish ministry of foreign affairs declared that, [last] Saturday [i.e. October 3], Turkish F-16 warplanes intercepted a Russian bomber which violated Turkish air space at its (south-eastern) border to Syria. [Al-Alam, Iranian TV news]

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Visitor from West Africa reminding NATO air raids in Libya.




Turkish visitor to "blueprint news" interested in Russian history.

Blood Moon Facing Earth

ـ"قمر دموي" نادر يطل على الأرض فجر الاثنين

Rare "Blood Moon" Facing Earth Another Dawn

[The Al-Arabiya news ticker on September 26 is mentioning
recent victim numbers of the Mina incident where 769 died
and 934 were left wounded during the "stoning of the devil"
which makes part of the annual pilgrimage to nearby Mecca]

Some rare 'Supermoon' total lunar eclipse is being expected within the next 24 hours. The moon will enter Earth’s much darker umbral shadow at 1:07 a.m. Greenwich time on Sept. 28. Sixty-four minutes later, the moon is entirely within the shadow, and sails on within it for 72 minutes until it begins to find its way out at the lower left (southeastern) edge.

For Europe and Africa, the midpoint of this eclipse occurs roughly between midnight and dawn on Sept. 28, and the moon will therefore still be well placed in the western sky. However, nearly 1 billion people in the Western Hemisphere, nearly 1.5 billion throughout much of Europe and Africa and perhaps another 500 million in western Asia will be able to watch as the Harvest Full Moon becomes a shadow of its former self and morphs into a glowing coppery ball. The lunar eclipse will also feature the "biggest" full moon as the moon will appear at its closest distance to Earth.




حدثت 3 خسوفات متتالية للقمر الأحمر في 5 قرون، و
لخسوفه 4 مرات هذه المرة علاقة بالشرق الأوسط

The saying goes about 3 consecutive eclipses of a red moon in 5 centuries.
And 4 times each eclipse was related to the Middle East.

This time, however, we have a sequence of even 4 blood moon appearances, as 3 preceding appearances have already been observed since spring 2014.




Even though, natural phenomena have always been regarded by astrologists as a heavenly sign introducing important changes on Earth, there were, as well, those who denied any relation between such planetary phenomena and human life. One of them was the famous Persian poet Hafiz (1320-1389) who warned to rely on astrology while intending to make one's fortune. A stance from one of his Ghazals, - some Persian literary form resembling the old English sonnet -, is still showing his mistrust in the revelations of astrology:

Do not expect, oh Hafiz, any cheer
Of fortune gained from planets' wheeling sphere;
Fate has a thousand turns of ill,
And never a tremor of good will.




The above quoted stance, combined with the name of its author,
is being presented using Arabic scripture. The calligraphy as it is
shown below was created by Ulysses some years ago and has
been colored only recently to fit with the Red Moon subject.

المانيا بشأن الأزمة السورية

المانيا بشأن الأزمة السورية

ميركل: يجب مشاركة الأسد في مفاوضات الحل

أعلنت المستشارة الألمانية أنغيلا ميركل، الخميس، أن رئيس النظام السوري بشار الأسد يجب أن يشارك في أي مفاوضات تهدف إلى حل الأزمة السورية.ــ

وقالت ميركل للصحافيين عقب قمة أوروبية طارئة في بروكسل "علينا أن نتحدث مع أفرقاء كثيرين، وهذا يشمل الأسد وكذلك أيضاً أطرافاً آخرين. ليس فقط مع الولايات المتحدة الأميركية وروسيا ولكن أيضاً مع شركاء إقليميين مهمين، إيران السعودية".ـ

[سبتمبر 24 - العربية نت]

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... و بشأن 800.000 اللاجئون السوريون في كل السنة 2015

اللاجئون (السوريون) في ألمانيا ـ ماذا بعد الترحيب؟

شهد ألمانيا العديد من المبادرات التي ترحب بقدوم اللاجئين وهي في أغلبها مبادرات تطوعية. وبالرغم من هذا الترحيب فإن بعض المدن الألمانية شهدت هجمات معادية للاجئين، بالإضافة إلى مظاهرات معادية نظمها اليمينيون المتطرفون.ـ

[سبتمبر 24 - DW راديو وطني الماني]




مصدر: المجلس النيابي الالماني

الجيش الروسيا في سوريا

آخر تحديث في 28 سبتمبر

الجيش الروسيا في سوريا

مسؤولون أميركيون: موسكو نشرت 28 مقاتلة في سوريا
[العربية نت 22 سبتمبر 2015]

البنتاغون: روسيا نشرت 4 مقاتلات في سوريا
[العربية نت 19 سبتمبر 2015]



صورة نشرتها فورين بوليسي، وهي من غوغل إيرث، تشير إلى بناء قاعدة جوية قرب اللاذقية
[العربية نت 19 سبتمبر 2015]


بوتين: روسيا لا تنوي نشر قوات مقاتلة في سوريا

قال الرئيس الروسي فلاديمير بوتين إن روسيا لا تنوي نشر قوات مقاتلة في سوريا، مشيراً إلى أن الهدف من الوجود العسكري الروسي في سوريا هو دعم حكومة رئيس النظام بشار الأسد ضد الجماعات الإرهابية.ـ

[العربية نت 28 سبتمبر 2015]

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بوتين يهدئ مخاوف إسرائيل بشأن نشر أسلحة روسية في سوريا
[بيبيسي 21 سبتمبر 2015]



[العربية نت 22 سبتمبر 2015]




استمرار تدفق الأسلحة الروسية إلى سوريا
[العربية نت 27 سبتمبر 2015]

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ISIS Compared with Historical Order of Assassins

ـ"الحشاشون" و"داعش": انتحار واغتيال وإن اختلفت المذاهب!ـ

"The Assasins" and "ISIS": Suicide and Assassination despite Ideological Differences !

ـ"الحشاشون" اتخذوا "ألموت" مكمناً حصيناً لهم

The "Assassins" [i.e. the medieval Nizari Ismailis' secret Islamic sect of assassins] brought with them a sociological monoculture of "Death".

[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on 6th August 2015]


Editor's Note:

The origins of the Assassins can be traced back to the time preceding the First Crusade, around 1080. Early sources about the Assassins are either written by enemies of that Islamic sect, or are based on legends. Most sources dealing with the order's inner structure were destroyed with the capture of Alamut, the Assassins' headquarters, by the Mongols in 1256. However, it is possible to trace the beginnings of the cult back to its first Grandmaster Hassan-i Sabbah (1050s–1124).



Old Persian style painting: The Assassins' stronghold of Alamut.

A passionate devotee of Isma'ili beliefs, Hassan-i Sabbah was well-liked throughout Cairo, Syria and most of the Middle East by other Isma'ili, which led to a number of people becoming his followers. Using his fame and popularity, Sabbah founded the Order of the Assassins. While his motives for founding this order remain unknown, it was said to be all for his own political and personal gain and to excert vengeance on his enemies. Because of the unrest in the Holy Land caused by the Crusades, Hassan-i Sabbah found himself not only fighting for power with other Muslims, but also with the invading Christian forces.

Hassan-i-Sabbah founded the Nizari Ismaili State (1090-1256) which comprised a group of unconnected strategic strongholds throughout Persia (Iran), Iraq and Syria. Those strongholds were surrounded by huge swathes of hostile territory. The Nizari Ismaili state managed a unified power structure that proved more effective than the Ismaili Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt, or the Sunni Seljuq Empire, both of which suffered political instability.

Long after their near-eradication at the hands of the Mongol Empire, reminders of the Assassins were preserved within European sources such as the writings of Marco Polo who depicted them as trained killers, responsible for the systematic elimination of opposing figures.




يا اهلينا انضمو لينا في حزب الحشيش

Be welcome joining us in the Party of Assassins !
Be welcome joining us in the Hashish Movement !
Image from an Egyptian journal in spring 2014,
referring to the connection between the Arabic
words describing the "Assassins" and the drug
"Hashish" which had been reportedly applied to
make novices of the Assassins believe in the
existence of Allah's Paradise.


News of the Day:



On the same day, 6th August 2015, the Arabic world discussed the suicide bombing targeting a mosque in southwestern Saudi Arabia, near the Yemenite border, and which killed at least 15 Muslims. According to a Saudi TV station, the Islamic State (ISIS) declared itself responsible for that bombing which has been staged far away from the organization's usual area of operations.

[Source: Al-Jazeera الجزيرة on 6th August 2015]




داعش يخطف 230 مدنياً بعد استيلائه على "القريتين" بحمص

ISIS abducted 230 citizens after taking over some village in Homs [province].

There are 60 Christians among those 230 hostages abducted in the rural area of Homs, Syria.

[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on 7th August 2015]

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Death of Bin Laden Relatives

ثالث كارثة جوية تحل بعائلة بن لادن وتقتل بعض أفرادها

A third air catastrophe strikes the family of Bin Laden and kills some of its members.

Members of the Bin Laden clan and their pilot died in the aircrash of an Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300 jet on its flight from Milan, Italy, to Blackbushe in Hampshire, Britain, about 103 km away from London. The Phenom 300 can carry eight passengers and is worth some 8,5 million U.S.$. Its crash took place when the jet tried to land on Blackbushe airfield and rushed into a neighbouring car show. The aircraft went down in near perfect conditions [Source: Guardian].

As the Bin Laden clan enjoys much influence in Saudi Arabia and the U.S.A., where Bin Laden Enterprises are engaged in the trade of oil and weaponry, high-ranking officials are now offering their condolences.




صورة لضحايا "طائرة بن لادن" المنكوبة في إنجلترا

Picture of the victims in the "Bin Laden Plane" that perished in England.

Media reports said the victims included Osama bin Laden's half-sister along with her husband and mother. Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV named those killed as Sana' Mohamed bin Laden, her husband Zuhair Hashem and Sana's mother, Raja' Hashem.




Prominent victim of the Bin Laden [clan], known among Saudis as "Mother of Orphans".




Mohammed bin Awad Bin Laden and his first son Salem who died as well in air plane accidents
in Saudi Arabia and the U.S. in 1967 and 1988. [Right: Mohammed is Osama Bin Laden's father]

[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on 1st and 2nd August 2015]


The guy who dropped out from the Bin Laden family scheme and found himself new friends:



An Osama Bin Laden warrant dating from times when he was hiding
in Afghanistan which was then ruled by Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

Still remember Michael Moore? The U.S. filmmaker who reported on September 11 and the dirty secrets of U.S. politics under the presidency of George Walker Bush. Here the official trailer of Fahrenheit 9/11, a documentary that opened our eyes on what we should see as a "sublime war against terrorism":



For those who want to learn more about Fahrenheit 9/11 and business relations between
the Bush clan and the Saudi Bin Laden Enterprises, here part one of the complete movie:

News on Afghan Taliban Leader Omar

Important Update added on 30th July !



أفغانستان.. هل قٌتل زعيم حركة طالبان الملا عمر؟ـ

Afghanistan: Was Mullah Omar, leader of the Taliban, [finally] killed ?

قالت الحكومة الأفغانية الأربعاء 29 يوليو/ تموز إنها بصدد التحقق من مقتل زعيم حركة طالبان، الملا محمد عمر.ـ

On Wednesday July 29 the Afghan government said that it was convinced of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar being dead.

وأعلن مسؤول حكومي أفغاني، اليوم الأربعاء، أن الملا محمد عمر، زعيم حركة طالبان، توفي منذ عامين في باكستان بعد مرضه.ـ

An Afghan government official informed today, Wednesday, that Mullah Mohammed Omar, leader of the Taliban, died from a disease in Pakistan [already] two years ago.

وقال المسؤول الحكومي، الذي رفض الإفصاح عن اسمه، في تصريحات لوكالة الأنباء الألمانية: “لدينا تأكيد من السلطات الباكستانية ومصادر من طالبان بأنه توفى قبل عامين في باكستان جراء إصابته بمرض”.ـ

And the government official who refused to tell his name, told in declarations for the [.....] press agency: " We have confirmation from Pakistani authorities and Taliban sources that he died within the last two years in Pakistan [in the proceedings of] an acquired disease."

كما كانت هناك عدة تقارير عن وفاة الملا عمر في الماضي.ـ

..... There were also several reports on the death of Mullah Omar in the past.

وكانت مصادر حكومية تحدثت في وقت سابق عن مقتل زعيم حركة "طالبان"حسبما نقلت عنها هيئة الإذاعة البريطانية.ـ

And there were government sources referring to the killing of the Taliban leader much earlier according to quotations by the British Broadcasting Corporation.

[Source: Al-Alam قناة العالم, Iranian TV channel in Arabic on July 29, 2015]

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Important Update on 30th July:



Afghanistan - In an announcement, the Taliban confirm
the death of their former leader Mullah Omar.
According to FRANCE 24, Omar died in 2013.




مجلس شورى حركة طالبان الأفغانية يؤكد وفاة زعيم الحركة
الملا محمد عمر و انتخاب ملا أختر منصور خليفة له

The Shura assembly of the Afghan Taliban confirms the death
of the organization's leader Mullah Mohammed Omar and the
election of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor as his successor.
Screenshot from Al-Jazeera Arabic TV on 30th July.

The Taliban has elected Mullah Akhtar Mansoor as its new leader, Taliban sources have told Al Jazeera, as the group confirmed the death of their founder Mullah Omar.

The election, which was reported on Thursday, has not been officially confirmed by the Taliban. But a commander present at the meeting to elect Mansoor confirmed the report to Reuters news agency.

Reports said the election was held in Pakistan's city of Quetta.

[Source: Al-Jazeera الجزيرة on 30th July 2015]

Mullah Akhtar Mansoor was previously Minister of Civil Aviation in Taliban-led Afghanistan. Mansoor was appointed deputy to Mullah Omar in 2010. He is believed to be in his 40s as of 2015, and is from southern Afghanistan near Kandahar.

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Another Cold Case ...

Plans of Getting Tougher on ISIS

U.S., Turkey and Saudi Arabia are probably joining forces in their fight against ISIS. Such are today's headlines by CNN, France 24 and Al-Arabiya.




الملك سلمان: يجب القضاء على داعش ولتركيا حق حماية شعبها

King Salman: There is need for the annihilation of ISIS
and for [a rule allowing] Turkey to defend its people.

في اتصال هاتفي جرى بين العاهل السعودي الملك سلمان والرئيس التركي رجب طيب أردوغان بحث الزعيمان التطورات الأخيرة ومستجدات الأوضاع في المنطقة.ـ

In a telephone call between the Saudi ruler King Salman and Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the two leaders discussed recent developments.

[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on 28th July 2015]




Turkey: The offensive against ISIS and PKK intensifies.

The US and Turkey have agreed to work together to drive Islamic State jihadists from northern Syria, a senior US official said Monday, as Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said its military could "change the balance" in the region. Plannings of a Turkish U.S. cooperation should entail Turkey supporting US "partners on the ground" that are already fighting IS extremists.

But many question whether Turkey is more interested in limiting Kurdish capabilities in Syria and Iraq than tackling IS. Turkey has called an extraordinary NATO meeting for Tuesday over its two-pronged cross-border "anti-terror" offensive against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and IS jihadists. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg backed Turkey's right to defend itself but told the BBC Sunday "of course self-defence has to be proportionate".

Turkish Prime Minister Davutoglu told a group of Turkish newspaper editors that Ankara's intervention would "change the balance" in the region, but ruled out sending ground troops into Syria. He denied Turkey was worried by Kurdish gains against jihadists in northern Syria, pointing to Ankara's relations with autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan.

Turkey has given the United States the green light to use its Incirlik air base to attack IS after months of tough negotiations. Davutoglu said Ankara's demands for a no-fly zone were addressed "to a certain extent", according to the Hurriyet daily. "Air cover is important, the air protection for the Free Syrian Army and other moderate elements fighting Daesh [i.e. IS]," he said. "If we will not send ground forces -- and that we will not do -- then certain elements that cooperate with us on the ground must be protected," Davutoglu added.

Up to now, direct fighting between Turkey and IS was restricted to some crossing-border shelling, seen as a retaliation for IS targeting Turkish territory. Turkey has already planned to bolster security along its border with Syria following a suspected suicide bombing in the town of Suruc which killed 30 people, most of them students, and left about 100 others wounded, only some days ago on 20th July.

[Source: France 24 / Al-Jazeera on 28th July 2015]

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