Turkey says its artillery playing role in Mosul

Record ID: 83894

  • Title: Turkey says its artillery playing role in Mosul
  • Date: 24th October 2016
  • Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (OCTOBER 24, 2016) (REUTERS) TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU AND FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER JEAN MARC AYRAULT AT NEWS CONFERENCE MEDIA ATTENDING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER, MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU, SAYING: "Since the beginning of the Mosul assault, the number of terrorists killed by our forces, with howitzers, artillery and tanks, has almost reached 20. They killed 17 terrorists." MEDIA ATTENDING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER, MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU, SAYING: "Now, they (PKK fighters) are trying to turn Sinjar into Qandil. (AUDIO OF TRANSLATOR RENDERING WORDS INTO FRENCH) We will use our rights stemming from the international laws and we will be more active in fighting the network of PKK in there and we will not allow PKK to settle there." MEDIA ATTENDING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-MARC AYRAULT, SAYING: "Concerning the situation in France, since you have talked about the dismantling of what we call the Calais Jungle. We call it the Jungle because it is an inhumane situation, suffocating for the inhabitants there that hope to cross the border to the UK. The government has taken a courageous decision, a necessary decision which is to dismantle this jungle but not no matter how, nor at any cost." MEDIA ATTENDING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-MARC AYRAULT, SAYING: "There are always verbal attacks. In democracies, everyone is free to express an opinion, but it is France's honour to welcome them with dignity and solidarity in respect of the right given to anyone who can claim asylum. It is necessary that their cases are processed and so are minors' cases, also with the utmost care, especially the departure of minors to Great Britain. This is a sensitive subject that has been addressed directly and recently at my level with my counterpart Boris Johnson but I am sure that France will give the best image possible." REPORTERS LISTENING AYRAULT AND CAVUSOGLU SHAKING HANDS AND LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 8th November 2016 13:30
  • Keywords: Turkey France Iraq Calais Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Jean Marc Ayrault Mosul
  • Location: ANKARA, TURKEY
  • City: ANKARA, TURKEY
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Insurgencies
  • Reuters ID: LVA00155D7687
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Turkish artillery fire has killed 17 Islamic State militants since the battle to drive them from the Iraqi city of Mosul began and four Turkish F-16 fighter jets are on standby to take part, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday (October 24).
    "Since the beginning of the Mosul assault, the number of terrorists killed by our forces with howitzers, artillery and tanks has almost reached 20. They killed 17 terrorists," Cavusoglu told reporters at a joint news conference with his French counterpart Jean Marc Ayrault.
    Turkey wants to play a bigger role in the Iraqi-led offensive against the jihadists in Mosul, but Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday declined an offer from Ankara to take part.
    Cavusoglu said Turkey will be more active in fighting the Kurdish PKK militant group in Iraq.
    The PKK has waged a three-decade insurgency in southeastern Turkey and maintains bases in northern Iraq, including in Qandil.
    The Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga has been in clashes with Islamic State near Sinjar, to the west of Mosul, since the start of Baghdad's operation last week.
    As France on Monday began clearing the sprawling "Jungle" migrant camp at Calais in northern France, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told the same news conference it had been a "necessary decision" but said it wouldn't be pressed home at any cost.
    While some 700 migrants left the camp on Monday, the fate of about 1,300 unaccompanied child migrants remained uncertain, with French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve urging Britain last week to step up efforts to identify and resettle child migrants.
    London has given priority to children with family ties and Ayrault said he was in discussion with his British counterpart Boris Johnson over who should take in minors with no connections.
    The Jungle camp has become a symbol of Europe's failure to respond to the migration crisis as member states squabble over who should take in those fleeing war and poverty.
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