Turkey
has said areas in north Syria cleared of fighters belonging to the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group will be turned into
safe zones.
Saturday’s announcement made by Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, came just hours after Ankara began bombing ISIL positions in Syria and and Kurdish fighters' camps in northern Iraq.
"When areas in northern Syria are cleared of the (ISIL) threat, the safe zones will be formed naturally," Cavusoglu told a news conference.
"We have always defended safe zones and no-fly zones in Syria. People who have been displaced can be placed in those safe zones."
Several Turkish media outlets had earlier reported the government was considering setting up a 33km-wide safe zone inside Syria, stretching from the outskirts of Kurdish-held Kobane to areas controlled by pro-Western rebel groups.
Its purpose would be to strengthen the rebels’ hand against ISIL and prevent the Kurdish fighters from capturing new border areas.
Saturday’s announcement made by Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, came just hours after Ankara began bombing ISIL positions in Syria and and Kurdish fighters' camps in northern Iraq.
"When areas in northern Syria are cleared of the (ISIL) threat, the safe zones will be formed naturally," Cavusoglu told a news conference.
"We have always defended safe zones and no-fly zones in Syria. People who have been displaced can be placed in those safe zones."
Several Turkish media outlets had earlier reported the government was considering setting up a 33km-wide safe zone inside Syria, stretching from the outskirts of Kurdish-held Kobane to areas controlled by pro-Western rebel groups.
Its purpose would be to strengthen the rebels’ hand against ISIL and prevent the Kurdish fighters from capturing new border areas.
Source: Agencies