A group of Syrian rebels is preparing to launch an attack on one of the last major towns controlled by the Islamic State along the Syria-Turkey border. Members of the Free Syrian Army and various other militias have massed in Turkey ahead of the assault on Jarabulus, which is scheduled to begin sometime within the next few days. The operation's purpose is twofold: By recapturing Jarabulus, the Free Syrian Army hopes to not only push the Islamic State from the Turkish border but also to limit the Syrian Democratic Forces from extending their reach to the west. Earlier this month the Kurdish-dominated group seized the city of Manbij, just 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of Jarabulus, and Kurdish militias elsewhere in Syria have gained control of several strategic towns in the northern Aleppo province -- a development with which Turkey, the Free Syrian Army's backer, is not pleased. In fact,...
