ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The air operation launched by Turkey in northern Syria and Iraq will have a land extension, a scenario that must be discussed between the general staff and the Ministry of Defence, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, according to comments reported by TRT and CNN Turkey.
The Turkish Air Force launched Operation Sword Claw against Kurdish sites in Syria and Iraq on Sunday, destroying 89 targets, the Turkish Defense Ministry reported.
These strikes follow the attack which killed six people and injured more than 80 on November 13 in a shopping street in Istanbul. The Turkish authorities accuse the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the YPG (People’s Protection Units), a Kurdish militia based in Syria, which they consider to be terrorist organisations.
“It’s not limited to an air campaign,” the Turkish president told reporters on his return from Qatar, according to Turkish channels.
“Our Ministry of Defense and our (military) staff study together the number of troops to commit. We consult and then we make our decisions accordingly,” he said.
Three people were killed on Monday in Turkish territory by Kurdish rocket fire from northern Syria, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.
Five rockets hit a school, two houses and a truck in Karkamis district, Gaziantep province, according to the local governor, who also reported six injuries.
According to CNN Turkey, the rockets were fired from the area of Kobani, a locality in northeastern Syria controlled by the YPG.
The Turkish military has retaliated, the Defense Ministry said, without further details.
(Report Daren Butler and Ece Toksabay, French version Sophie Louet, edited by Blandine Hénault)