Reuters, Ankara :Swathes of northern Syria cleared of Islamic State militants will become a “safe zone”, Turkey’s foreign minister said on Saturday, after Turkish warplanes pounded jihadist positions in a series of strikes.”When areas in northern Syria are cleared of the (Islamic State) threat, the safe zones will be formed naturally,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told a news conference.”We have always defended safe zones and no-fly zones in Syria. People who have been displaced can be placed in those safe zones.”Turkey says parts of Syria to become ‘safe zones’Foreign minister says areas cleared of fighters belonging to ISIL can turned into haven for Syrians displaced by war.Turkey has said areas in north Syria cleared of fighters belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group will be turned into safe zones.Saturday’s announcement made by Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, came after Ankara began bombing ISIL positions in Syria and and Kurdish fighters’ camps in northern Iraq.”When areas in northern Syria are cleared of the (ISIL) threat, the safe zones will be formed naturally,” Cavusoglu told a news conference.”We have always defended safe zones and no-fly zones in Syria. People who have been displaced can be placed in those safe zones.”Several Turkish media outlets had earlier reported the government was considering setting up a 33km-wide safe zone inside Syria, stretching from the outskirts of Kurdish-held Kobane to areas controlled by pro-Western rebel groups.Its purpose would be to strengthen the rebels’ hand against ISIL and prevent the Kurdish fighters from capturing new border areas.Turkish forces on Saturday unleashed a third wave of air strikes and ground attacks against the two targeted factions.”We have given instructions for a third series of strikes in Syria and Iraq. Air and ground operations are under way,” Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara, adding that 590 suspected ISIL and PKK members were arrested in raids across Turkey. The military action by Ankara was seen as a potential game changer in the war against ISIL.Turkey earlier this week approved the full use of its airbases by the US-led coalition against ISIL, according to the foreign ministry, marking a major change in its policy following a suicide bomb attack in Suruc, bordering Syria.The offensive against the PKK came after the Kurdish group claimed attacks on security forces in the last days.
