Anadolu News Agency reporters told Al Jazeera that the Turkish army immediately retaliated by attacking an ISIL base on Syrian territory, killing at least one fighter.
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The private Dogan news agency said the Turkish jets were targeting PKK training facilities, shelters and anti-aircraft batteries in northern Iraq.
Initially Turkey said one militant was killed but updated this later to five, CNN Turk reported citing sources in the premier’s office.
Turkey had refrained from full participation in the coalition, saying Washington’s plans did not adequately address the complexities of Syria’s multiple conflicts – that include rebels, backed by Turkey and others, seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the strikes were “100 percent” successful and eliminated their targets.
If confirmed, the Turkish strikes against the PKK in Iraq would come on the same day as Turkey’s first air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria.
The raids against IS, which had begun before dawn Friday, marked a major shift in policy towards the group by key NATO member Turkey, which has faced severe criticism from its Western allies for not doing enough to combat the jihadists.
“Turkey will show the strongest reaction to the slightest movement that threatens it”, he said.
Then, last Monday, an Isis suicide bomber killed 32 people in an attack in the Turkish town of Suruç, near the Syrian border.
Police also rounded up nearly 300 people in raids against suspected IS and Kurdish militants, Davutoglu said after vowing to fight all “terrorist groups” equally.
Defence Minister Jason Kenney welcomed Turkey to the mission, but reiterated that Canada will not increase its current contribution to the war against ISIS.
There is a longstanding resolution that has been passed by the Turkish parliament permitting military action against Syria.
Turkey has been accused of turning a blind eye to foreign fighters, including Islamist extremists, who cross into Syria from Turkey, though it has recently begun to take steps to halt the activity. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of government rules requiring authorization for comment, said the targets were two command centers and a gathering point of ISIS supporters.
But the attacks on Islamic State targets inside Syria and the early morning raids across 13 provinces at home, which also targeted Kurdish militants, are among its most robust operations yet.
Turkish fighter jets and ground forces hit Islamic State militants in Syria and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in Iraq overnight on Saturday, in a campaign Ankara said would help create a “safe zone” across swathes of northern Syria.
The agreement to use the air base had been long sought for by the U.S., and was reached apparently on Wednesday in a call between President Obama and Erdogan.
At the time, Forget said all airstrikes are assigned at the coalition headquarters in Qatar “to various nations for a variety of reasons”.
“We have decided to further deepen our cooperation in the fight against ISIL, our common efforts to promote security and stability in Iraq, and our work to bring about a political settlement to the conflict in Syria”, Baskey says. A Syrian rights group said the airstrikes killed nine IS fighters.
He said Turkey notified the United States about Friday’s airstrikes but did not carry them out under the auspices of the international coalition.
In the days since, Turkey has cracked down on suspected Islamic State sympathizers, as well as Kurdish nationalists and radical leftist groups.
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Turkey had given clearance for both manned and unmanned aircraft to fly missions from the Incirlick base, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in Washington.
