President Recep Erdogan on Thursday has said Turkey is prepared to take unilateral actions against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria to protect its southern border town Kilis from IS attacks.
Erdogan complained that the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition has not provided Turkey with the desired support.
“We are making necessary preparations in order to clear across the border.
“Turkey will not wait while we have martyrs every day, I would like to say that we will not hesitate to take unilateral steps on this issue.
“The issue of Kilis would be “litmus paper” for revealing the sincerity of coalition partners in the fight against the IS group.
“Recalling that the jihadist group fires rocket projectiles at Kilis almost every day,’’ Erdogan said, adding that some 130 people have been killed in IS attacks in Turkey.
He said that the Turkish army has hit 3,000 IS targets in Syria and destroyed 1,300 of its positions there.
In recent weeks, Kilis has been repeatedly hit by rocket fire from IS-controlled territories inside Syria.
According to figures provided by the Turkish Armed Forces, rockets fired from Syria have been fallen in Kilis since mid-January, killing 20 people, including seven Syrians refugees, and injuring 66 others, including 17 Syrians.
Meanwhile, the IS has orchestrated a number of suicide bombings in Turkey’s capital, Istanbul and other provinces, leaving hundreds killed.
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