MIDEAST-CRISIS/TURKEY-DAVUTOGLU Turkish raids on Islamic State "100 percent" successful - PM

Record ID: 149495

  • Title: MIDEAST-CRISIS/TURKEY-DAVUTOGLU Turkish raids on Islamic State "100 percent" successful - PM
  • Date: 24th July 2015
  • Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (JULY 24, 2015) (REUTERS) TURKISH PRIME MINISTER, AHMET DAVUTOGLU, WALKING TOWARDS A PODIUM GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PRIME MINISTER, AHMET DAVUTOGLU, SAYING: "As of this morning, our armed forces, in the framework of the orders that they received, destroyed the IS targets which have the potential to threaten Turkey on the Syrian bor
  • Embargoed: 8th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA26FEYDLAEJ2NX22PNEP53HJ5S
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday (July 24) that security operations against Islamic State, as well as leftist and Kurdish militants, were not a one-off but were comprehensive and would continue.
    Davutoglu told reporters at a news conference that 297 people, including 37 foreign nationals, were detained in operations across the country. The raids followed air strikes by Turkish fighter jets against Islamic State in Syria, which completely destroyed their targets, Davutoglu said.
    "As of this morning, our armed forces, in the framework of the orders that they received, destroyed the IS targets which have the potential to threaten Turkey on the Syrian border with a success ratio of 100 percent," Davutoglu stated.
    Turkey has long been a reluctant partner in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, emphasising the need to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and saying Syrian Kurdish forces also pose a grave security threat.
    But the attacks on Islamic State targets inside Syria and the early morning raids across 13 provinces at home, which also targeted Kurdish militants, are among its most robust operations yet. One official said Ankara had moved to "active defense" from a passive strategy.
    Turkey has faced increasing insecurity along its 900-km. (560-mile) border with Syria. A cross-border firefight on Thursday between the Turkish army and Islamic State, which has seized large areas of Syria and Iraq, left one militant and one soldier dead.
    The prime minister said that he does not require permission from his allies to launch an offensive.
    "The attack against our army officer has already given Turkey the right to self defence and we have no obligation to inform anyone, but we informed our ally countries because there must be a coordination as there are military movements of the allied countries in the field in the framework of the coalition. After the decision taken yesterday, our foreign ministry officials have informed all the allied countries including the United States and the following information has been delivered to NATO and UN," he said.
    Turkey acted hours after officials in Washington said Ankara had agreed to let U.S. jets launch air strikes from a base near the Syrian border, dropping its earlier refusal to allow manned American bombing raids from there. This followed a phone conversation between President Barack Obama and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan.
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