*Contributed reporting

AKCAKALE, Turkey — Through a haze of dust obscuring the frontier, the flags of victorious Kurdish fighters and their allies fly over the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad, newly wrested from Islamic State militants.

But amid the rejoicing that erupted in the Kurdish heartlands of Syria, Turkey and Iraq over the capture of this strategic prize last week, there is foreboding over the prospect of a backlash from Turkish leaders, who have made plain their consternation over a lengthening corridor of Kurdish-controlled territory on Turkey’s doorstep.

As the world’s largest stateless population by some calculations, Kurds have seen their aspirations for autonomy boosted by the chaos enveloping Iraq and Syria. In Turkey, many among the large Kurdish minority — about 20% of the population — are feeling empowered by the historic entry of a pro-Kurdish party into parliament after elections this month.

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