Turkey has killed 3,000 IS fighters in Syria, Iraq: Erdogan

ANKARA: Turkey has killed 3,000 Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday, adding that no other country is fighting Islamic State as Ankara is.

NATO member Turkey was initially a reluctant partner in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State and faced criticism in the earlier stages of the Syrian war for failing to stop foreign fighters crossing its borders and joining the radical group.

Turkey has meanwhile said it needs more help from Western allies in the fight against Islamic State, particularly near the Syrian border, where the Turkish town of Kilis has been hit for weeks by repeated rocket fire.