Turkey vows support for anti-IS operation

ISTANBUL: Turkey pledged on Tuesday to give "all kinds of support" to push Islamic State (IS) jihadists out of the Syrian town of Jarabulus near the two countries’ border.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made the promise amid reports Ankara-backed rebels were massing on the border in anticipation of an impending operation against IS.

"We will provide all kinds of support to the Jarabulus operation," Cavusoglu said, promising to help "cleanse" IS from neighbouring countries.

"We do not want Daesh to exist in Iraq and Syria," he told reporters, using an Arabic acronym for the IS group.

Turkey on Tuesday pounded IS positions in Syria with artillery strikes after a deadly attack near its border killed at least 54 people.

"We shelled ISIS positions across the border," said a Turkish official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.  Turkish media reported that tanks and armoured vehicles amassed on the Syrian border.

In a live interview with private NTV television, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Turkey was closely monitoring the developments on the Syrian side of the border, adding that Ankara has sees this "as a national security matter."