Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is proving to be a disappointment in the western effort to degrade and destroy Islamic State (IS), the terrorist group that declared itself a fundamentalist Islamic caliphate after seizing huge tracts of territory in Iraqi and Syria. 

The latest set of US-led airstrikes against the IS fighters have slowed their advance on the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobani near the northern border with Turkey.  Kurds say the attacks help, but they should have come a lot earlier.  Erdogan says ground troops will be needed to stop IS.

“You can’t end this terrorism just by airstrikes. If you don’t support them on the ground, by cooperating with those who take up a ground operation, the airstrikes won’t do it,” Erdogan said.

Turkish tanks and army forces deployed to the border near Kobani last week, but after nearly three weeks of fighting, they’ve yet to engage IS.  This is despite several stray mortars falling into Turkish territory. 

They’ve done more fighting with Kurdish refugees who were trying to get across and join their kinsmen in defending Kobani than with terrorists.  At least twelve people have been killed in clashes with authorities in predominantly Kurdish towns in southern Turkey.  Riot police used tear gas and water cannon in a number of these towns and cities, and authorities imposed curfews.

Erdogan deepened tensions with US President Barack President Obama by declaring the Turkish troops would not get more deeply involved unless the US agrees to give greater support to rebels trying to unseat Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.  Mr. Obama wants to keep two issues separate.