Turkish planes strike ISIL in Syria
In a major tactical shift, Turkish warplanes struck Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant targets across the border in Syria on Friday, a day after the militants fired at a Turkish military outpost.
A Syrian rights group said the airstrikes killed nine ISIL fighters.
Turkey, which straddles Europe and Asia and borders the Middle East, had long been reluctant to join the U.S.led coalition against the extremist group.
In a related, long-awaited development, Turkey said it has agreed to allow U.S.-led coalition forces to base manned and unmanned aircraft at its airbases for operations targeting ISIL.
Turkish police also launched a major operation Friday against extremist groups including ISIL. They detained more than 290 people in simultaneous raids in Istanbul and 12 provinces.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the air strikes had “removed potential threats” to Turkey, hitting their targets with “100 per cent accuracy.”
He did not rule out further air strikes, saying Turkey was determined to stave off all terror threats.
“This was not a point operation, this is a process,” Davutoglu said. “It is not limited to one day or to one region … the slightest movement threatening Turkey will be retaliated against in the strongest way possible.”
A government official said three F-16 jets took off from Diyarbakir airbase in southeast Turkey early Friday and used smart bombs to hit three ISIL targets.
The private Dogan news agency said as many as 35 ISIL militants were killed in the bombing raids, but did not cite a source.
Turkey’s moves came as the country finds itself drawn further into the conflict in neighbouring Syria by a series of deadly attacks and signs of increased ISIL activity in Turkey itself.
A government statement said the airstrikes were approved Thursday after ISIL militants fired from Syrian territory at a Turkish military outpost, killing one Turkish soldier.
A funeral was held for the slain Turkish soldier, Yalcin Nane, on Friday, where mourners denounced the ISIL violence, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Officials said Friday’s airstrikes were code-named Operation Yalcin in his honour.