Turkey Opens Military Bases for US Troops

Turkey has agreed to let the US use its military bases in the campaign against Islamic State militants, American defense officials said Sunday.

US National Security Adviser Susan Rice said the US welcomed the new agreement, which included use of the Incirlik air base in Turkey's south.

The US is leading air strikes against IS, which has seized large parts of Iraq and Syria in recent months.

Obama administration officials have urged the Turkish government to play a more significant role in fighting the extremists.

A Turkish government official said Sunday that Turkey put the number at 4,000 opposition fighters and said they would be screened by Turkish intelligence.

Since the IS offensive against the Syrian town of Kobane began in mid-September, some 500 people have been killed and up to 200,000 have fled across the border into Turkey, the BBC reports.