Turkey needs to do more to fight the Islamic State, particularly by better controling its border with Syria where new IS recruits and supplies usually cross, the U.S. defense secretary has said.
Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said August 20 Turkey had agreed to join the anti-IS coalition, but it should now add its own warplanes to the yearlong campaign of air strikes.
"They need to join the [air strikes] and they need to work more on controlling their border. And we've made that clear," Carter said. "It's overdue, because it's a year into the campaign, but they're indicating some considerable effort now."
Turkey's involvement in the battle against IS has so far been limited, and the country appears to be concentrating on a recently revived war with Kurdish separatist militants.
Carter said IS is still able to bring fighters and supplies over the Turkish border into Syria.
"We need them...as a neighbor to this conflict zone, as a long-time NATO ally, and a responsible member of the anti-ISIL coalition, to control the border," he said.