NATO Backs Turkey Over Fight Against IS

NATO has given Turkey its full backing in its attempts to fight Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq with which it shares its borders.

But at an emergency meeting officials urged Ankara not to use excessive force which might undermine its peace deal with Kurdish groups, who are also fighting Islamic State.

Turkish and US officials also discussed the creation of a safe zone cleared of Islamic State militants in northern Syria.

The plan would provide an opportunity for around 1.7 million refugees to return to Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Speaking in Brussels at the emergency meeting of ambassadors from all 28 NATO states, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: "We stand in strong solidarity with our ally Turkey.

"Terrorism poses a direct threat to the security of NATO countries and to international stability and prosperity.

"It is a global threat that knows no border, nationality or religion...a challenge that the international community must fight and tackle together."

Turkey has launched a "war on terror" on two fronts against IS and Kurdish militants - even though the two groups are also fighting against each other.

It launched the offensive after a suicide bombing blamed on IS killed 32 people in the southeastern town Suruc last week.

Since the attack, Turkish authorities have had to deal with nightly protests in Istanbul and other cities over the bombing itself and the government's policies for dealing with Islamic State.

Turkey's more robust approach has seen its warplanes strike military targets in Syria and an agreement reached for US jets to launch strikes from the strategically important Incirlik Air Base.

Turkey's cross-border strikes have targeted not only IS but also Kurdish forces, who are seen as the most effective ground force battling IS and have been backed by US-led airstrikes.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan warned it was impossible to continue peace talks with Kurdish militants and hours later Turkish F-16 fighter jets bombed Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK) militants in Sirnak, a province in Turkey bordering Iraq.

Some NATO members and observers are unclear whether Turkey's main target is IS or the Kurds.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has fought Turkey for autonomy for Kurds in a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1984.

The Kurds are an ethnic group with their own language living in a region spanning present-day Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia.

Speaking in Ankara before a visit to China, Mr Erdogan said it was impossible to move forward with a peace process with the Kurds while attacks take place inside Turkey.

Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday: "There is no difference between PKK and Daesh (Islamic State). You can't say that PKK is better because it is fighting Daesh."