20-04-2024 01:43 AM Jerusalem Timing

Turkey Says ’Has Plans’ for Joint US Operation against ISIL

Turkey Says ’Has Plans’ for Joint US Operation against ISIL

Turkey’s foreign minister on Wednesday said Ankara "has plans" for a joint operation with the United States to end the presence of militants of the Takfiri group, ISIL, along any part of its border with Syria.

Turkey's foreign minister on Wednesday said Ankara "has plans" for a joint operation with the United States to end the presence of militants of the Takfiri group, ISIL, along any part of its border with Syria.

Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu told the state-run news agency Anatolia that ISIL (so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Levant) militants still had a presence on some of Turkey's border with northern Syria.

"We have certain plans to put an end to the control that ISIL which is still exercising on a zone of our frontier," he said, without specifying on the nature of the plans but saying they would be jointly implemented with the US.

"When these plans are completed, our operations will continue with more and more intensity. You will see this in the days to come," he added.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said in an interview with CNN late Tuesday that "we are entering an operation with the Turks" to shut off 98 kilometers (61 miles) of border still not secure from ISIL.

Their comments come amid growing momentum for coordinated international action against ISIL after the Paris attacks last week claimed by the Takfiri group which killed 129 and injured 350.