Erdogan Says to Take on ISIL, Other Terrorists

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to fight ISIL and "other terrorist organizations", in his clearest remarks yet that Turkish forces could join a US-led coalition battling the group in Iraq and Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to fight the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and "other terrorist organizations", in his clearest remarks yet that Turkish forces could join a US-led coalition battling the group in Iraq and Syria. Erdogan

Erdogan's speech on Wednesday comes a day before parliament votes on motions that may grant the government authority to do send forces into both neighboring countries.

"We will fight effectively against both [ISIL] and all other terrorist organizations within the region," said Erdogan as he opened parliament's autumn session. "This will always be our priority."

Turkey is not a part of the US-led coalition, but has sent tanks to border areas threatened by ISIL advances towards Kobane, a Kurdish-majority Syrian border town known as Ain al-Arab in Arabic.

Ankara has not yet indicated what form its assistance could take although Erdogan has repeatedly called for a buffer zone on the Turkish border inside Syria, backed by a no-fly zone, to ensure security.

However, Erdogan said “tons of air bombs will only delay the threat and danger,” adding that the safe return of Syrian refugees in Turkey was also a priority.

"We are open and ready for any cooperation in the fight against terrorism. However, it should be understood by everybody that Turkey is not a country in pursuit of temporary solutions nor will Turkey allow others to take advantage of it."

"We will continue to prioritize our aim to remove the Syrian regime, to help protect the territorial integrity of Syria and to encourage a constitutional, parliamentary government system which embraces all citizens," he said.

"Turkey has no intention of intervening in any country's internal affairs or grabbing any other country's land. But peace and stability in the region means peace and stability in Turkey," he added.

Erdogan also criticized claims of Turkish collusion with ISIL to hasten the demise of President Assad. "It is out of the question to tolerate or to have the slightest sympathy ... for such a terrorist group," he said.