ANKARA
The U.S.-led anti-Daesh coalition can deploy its manned and unmanned aerial vehicles at bases inside Turkey, the Turkish foreign ministry said Friday.
Turkish Air Forces will also take part in coalition airstrikes against the terrorist group, the ministry said in a statement.
The approval for the coalition is based on an authority granted by the Turkish parliament in 2014, the ministry added.
The ministry refrained, however, from giving more detail about what it called a "cooperation that is expected to create a difference in the coalition's air campaign" on account of operational concerns.
The ministry said the cooperation would enhance the safety of residents living in Daesh-controlled regions inside Syria as well as maintain Turkey's security.
Turkey and the U.S. have the experience of thinking and acting together over "collective defense" and "national security" issues, and it was priority for both countries to answer the common threats through their joint efforts, the statement said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Barack Obama discussed Daesh threats during a telephone call July 22, the statement said, adding: "Daesh issue is a primary national security threat for Turkey, and this threat is gradually increasing."
The statement mentioned this week's deadly attacks in Turkey, including in Sanliurfa’s Suruc town that killed at least 32 people and the recent killing of a Turkish army officer in Kilis.
The attacks have been blamed on Daesh.
According to the statement, Turkey pledged to respond to the threats and attacks aimed at its national security.
The statement also mentioned the airstrikes carried out by Turkish jets on Friday and said they targeted Daesh positions inside Syria in accordance with legal defense rights outlined in the U.N.'s 51st article.
The Turkish jets carried out the operation “without violating the Syrian airspace”, the prime ministry said in a statement earlier Friday.
In Washington, the State Department said the Suruc bombing "underscored" the importance of "strengthening our mutual efforts to defeat ISIL and bolster Turkey's security in the region".
"As part of that I can say that Turkey has granted clearance of the deployment of manned and unmanned aircraft from the U.S. and other coalition members participating in air operations against ISIL," spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. "This has been the product of continuous negotiations, talks, consultations, dialogue, for the past six months and even before to look at ways we can broaden, strengthen, deepen our cooperation with Turkey," he added.
