Turkish-backed rebels on Sunday cleared Islamic State from Turkey's Syrian border, securing a 90 km (55 miles) corridor and marking a substantial gain in Ankara's plan to drive out Sunni militants and stop the advance of Syrian Kurdish fighters. That puts Turkey in firm control of a stretch of land it sees as a bulwark against the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish YPG militia. Turkey is fighting a three-decade-old Kurdish insurgency in its southeast and fears that gains by the Syrian Kurdish YPG will embolden militants at home. 'TERROR CORRIDOR'President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday raised concern about the formation of a "terror corridor" along Turkey's Syrian border. A demonstration broke out along the Syrian border on Friday, where Turkey is building a concrete wall.

Source: India Today September 05, 2016 04:30 UTC