Turkey seeks extension to ruling allowing military action in Iraq, Syria

The Turkish government yesterday submitted a motion to Parliament asking for a one year extension to the mandate which allows military action to be taken when necessary in Syria and Iraq, the Anadolu Agency reported.

Signed by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, the motion noted the continuous threats on the country’s national security due to the ongoing conflicts in the neighbouring states.

The motion authorises the army to carry out cross-border operations against members of the PKK in Syria and Iraq and other terrorist groups that carry out attacks in Turkey. The current mandate expires on 2 October and a vote on its extension will take place on 1 October.

Meanwhile, Turkey said that the Syrian regime has continuously carried out massacres against its people and supported terrorist groups based on ethnic and sectarian ideologies.

The Turkish government noted that it is necessary to implement the measures to face all types of threats from Iraq and Syria “which could undermine our national security”.