Sealing Turkey, IS area border a priority: US envoy

Baghdad

The United States and Turkey have for months been talking of a joint effort to clear Islamic State from the remaining part of the frontier but there has been no sign of progress. “We are increasing our pressure there,” said Brett McGurk. He also alleged that only 30 percent of airstrikes conducted by Russia in Syria targeted Islamic State and the rest hit “other armed groups”. Russia launched airstrikes in Syria at the end of September in support of its ally, President Bashar al-Assad, with the stated aim of hitting Islamic State.