A landmark deal between Turkey and the United States for US warplanes to use a Turkish airbase to attack Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria foresees a no-fly zone along part of the Syrian border, a report said Friday.
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The two-pronged operation against IS and militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)-two groups who are themselves bitterly opposed-came after a week of deadly violence in Turkey the authorities blamed on the organizations.
The strikes against PKK targets are likely to be a major blow to the stalled Kurdish peace process.
It described the bombings of the targets in northern Iraq as the “most serious military and political error” by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling party. “Air and ground operations are under way”, Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara. Islamic State has seized much of northern and eastern Syria four years into the country’s civil war.
“Turkey’s operations will, if needed, continue until the terror organisations’ command centres, all locations where they plan (attacks) against Turkey and all depots used to store arms to be used against Turkey are destroyed”, Mr Davutoglu said.
Turkey also launched attacks against Daesh.
The same week, a suicide blast killed more than 30 people in Suruc, a town that borders Syria.
Three Turkish F-16 fighter jets took off from southeastern Turkey early Friday and dropped guided bombs on an Islamic State headquarters and another site in Syrian territory.
In addition to the air raids, Turkish ground forces also carried out artillery strikes against IS in Syria and the PKK in northern Iraq, the statement said. One person was killed and 297 detained nationwide, the government said.
“At the end of this efficient fight against IS, areas that have been cleared of IS (militants) will become safe zones”, Cavusoglu said.
Ankara commits to “joint action” with U.S. against Islamic State.
It was not immediately known whether the agreement would entail the creation of a safe or buffer zone.
In any case Hakura said, while Turkish intervention will “accelerate” the struggle against IS, “still it appears that it will take some time before the Islamic State is completely weakened”.
The PKK seek the creation of an autonomous homeland for the Kurds and strife between the PKK and Turkey has been ongoing for decades.
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Taking off from Diyarbakır 8th Jetfighters Main Base Turkish jets had bombed the ISIL targets until the 03.53.
