MOSCOW, September 11 (RIA Novosti) – Turkey will not allow a US-led coalition to launch attacks in Iraq and Syria from its air bases and will not take part in combat operations against militant groups, a government official told Agence France Presse Thursday.
"Turkey will not be involved in any armed operation but will entirely concentrate on humanitarian operations," the official said on condition of anonymity.
The announcement comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry is holding talks in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to encourage Middle Eastern countries to create an international coalition to fight terrorism, particularly the Islamic State (IS) group.
On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama said Washington would wage a campaign against the IS, which would include air strikes on Syrian soil and the provision of aid to Syrian rebel groups.
The IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is a radical Sunni group, which has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June, it started launching attacks in the northern and western regions of Iraq, announcing the establishment of a caliphate on all territories under its control.
In August, the United States started launching air strikes against IS positions in Iraq.
