Turkey may offer ‘military help’ to fight against IS
John Kerry says Ankara ‘will be very engaged on the front lines of this effort’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday welcomed US-led air strikes against Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria, saying Ankara could provide military or logistical support for the campaign.
“I look at it (the airstrikes) in a positive way. It would be wrong if they stopped. This road map should be continued,” he told Turkish reporters in New York in comments broadcast by Turkish television.
Asked how Turkey would contribute to the operation, Erdogan said: “We will take whatever steps necessary to combat terrorism.
“This involves all kinds of support, including military and political. It involves political or logistic support,” added Erdogan, who is in New York to attend the UN General Assembly.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking in New York at a counter-terrorism forum, said Turkey has joined the coalition and “will be very engaged on the front lines of this effort.”
Turkey had been criticized for doing little to fight the rise of IS militants who have seized swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria dangerously close to its own borders.
However, Ankara always said its priority was to ensure the security of 46 Turks held hostage by IS militants after being abducted from Mosul in Iraq.
The hostages were freed over the weekend, leading to building expectations in Washington that Turkey could switch its stance and become a key ally in the campaign against the militants.
Erdogan did not give details of the kind of military and logistical support Ankara could provide.
He said: “There must be consensus on the need to fight terrorism in the region.
“We will have meetings with the government when I am back [from New York] and we will continue to provide support in accordance with our decision.”
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said earlier that parliament on October 2 would consider extending the scope of two existing mandates allowing it to take military action in Syria and Iraq.
“I hope it will not be necessary to use these mandates. But if necessary, Turkey will not hesitate in doing so,” he said in Ankara.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.