Turkish warplanes strike IS targets
Print Edition
IN a major tactical shift, Turkish warplanes struck Islamic State group targets yesterday across the border in Syria — a move that came a day after IS militants fired at a Turkish military outpost, killing a soldier.
Turkey, which spans Europe and Asia and borders the Middle East, had been reluctant to join the US-led coalition against the extremist group.
In a related, long-awaited development, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that Turkey had agreed to let the US use a key base in southern Turkey for military operations against the militants “within a certain framework.” He did not elaborate on the agreement, which a US official said was reached during a phone call this week with President Barack Obama.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday the airstrikes had “removed potential threats” to Turkey, hitting targets with “100 percent accuracy.” He did not rule out further airstrikes, saying Turkey was determined to stave off all terror threats against it.
The private Dogan news agency said as many as 35 IS militants were killed in one of the three targets. The agency did not cite a source for the report and there was no official confirmation.
“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.”
For their part, Turkish police launched a major operation yesterday against terror groups including Islamic State, carrying out simultaneous raids in Istanbul and 12 provinces and detaining more than 290 people. The Anadolu news agency said as many as 5,000 police officers were involved in the sweep against suspected extremists.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
