Turkey and the United States have joined forces in a campaign to drive Islamic State militants back from Turkey's southern border and cinch off the extremists' vital corridors for weapons and fighters.
The mission to create an Islamic State-free zone in northern Syria is still in the planning phase, U.S. officials said Monday, and the new strategy for combating the militant organization that has proclaimed a Muslim caliphate across Syrian and Iraqi territory was expected to be the subject of an urgent closed-door meeting of NATO allies Tuesday.
No U.S. or Turkish ground troops would be involved in the new effort, officials said.