A round of attacks by armed US drones on targets in northern Syria marked a once-reluctant Turkey’s arrival on the front line of the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis). The US on Wednesday conducted its first strikes on Isis positions from a base in Turkey, the Pentagon said, after months of appealing to Ankara for its support. Hours earlier, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu pledged to work with members of the US-led coalition to launch “a comprehensive battle against Islamic State”. For over a year, Turkey and Isis appeared to be bound by an unspoken non-aggression pact: Turkey did not confront Isis directly for fear that the militants, known to have a network of supporters inside the country, would strike back. And Isis did not target Turkey for fear of inviting retaliation by the region’s most powerful army.