Islamic State is reportedly pushing their efforts on securing the border between Turkey and north-west Syria as the gateway for recruits to join the group.
According to The Guardian, the group is now in the process of deploying large numbers of militants on the Turkey border to keep the gates open for new recruits to join the caliphate in Syria and western Iraq.
Several armoured trucks, filled with ISIS men, were seen moving towards the Turkey border earlier last week, the report noted.
Residents and Syrian opposition militants in the town of Marea claim that Islamic State has moved within sight and has sent an envoy to negotiate a treaty to grand free access to its men towards Turkey.
Turkey is crucial for Islamic State for several reasons.
"The Turkish border is the only way to smuggle oil, weapons and foreign fighters into [Iraq and Syria]," the report quoted Dr Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi expert on IS.
"If it's closed, it will cut three things: funding, an entrance for the foreign fighters and links to Europe which they are trying to open. If those plans are destroyed, they will aim for another gate to Lebanon."
According to Liberty Voice, the growing IS threat could hurt Turkish commerce routes as well as tourism revenues.
Turkey has also started realising the impact of Islamic State. According to Al Monitor, Turkey's issues with IS are not only about its citizens held hostage in Mosul but also the threat posed by the organisation to the country's security.
The impression that Turkey is tolerating IS endangers the peace process in the country. The militant group has become a major threat to Turkey's security and stability, the report noted.
