TURKEY-ELECTION-ERDOGAN
Turkey's Prime Minister and presidential candidate Tayyip Erdogan speaks during an election rally in Diyarbakir, southeast Turkey, July 26, 2014. Reuters/Umit Bektas

Turkey has expressed its willingness to join the fight the Islamic State radicals and sought the mandate of the Parliament for further action. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey would fight Islamic State and other "terrorist" groups in the region.

At the same time, he also reiterated the demand for the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Erdogan made this announcement while making a speech at the opening session of the Parliament, reported Reuters. Turkey shares a 750-mile border with Iraq and Syria.

But Erdogan called for a more holistic approach, than merely backing the U.S. air strikes. He wanted a decisive struggle with all terror groups in the region and due respect for Turkey's proposals and warnings. Otherwise the bombs dropped from the air would only complicate the threat and danger, he observed. Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç suggested a range of options, including offer of air bases to coalition planes, enforcing a no-fly zone over northern Syria, and sending ground troops to roll back the ISIS, reported Middle East Eye.

Parliament Nod Sought

The Turkey government sent a proposal to the Parliament for authorisation to expand on cross-border ingressions. The Parliament will discuss the proposal on Thursday. The mandate sought by prime minister Ahmet Davutoğlu wants foreign troops to transit through Turkey and establishing a security zone of up to 20 miles inside neighbouring Syria.

Meanwhile, NATO assured protection to Turkey if it is attacked by the advancing columns of ISIS. This was stated by NATO's new Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday. But Kurdish groups are apprehensive about the ruling Justice and Development party's demand for a buffer zone, which Kurds fear will be to occupy Kurdish-Syrian enclaves across the border, reports The Guardian.

Tomb Issue

The demand for a buffer zone by Turkey is also linked to the tomb of Ottoman Empire Osman I, which has been marked as Turkish territory under the 1921 Turkey-France border accord. It is still protected by Turkish troops on Syrian soil near the town of Manbij. Since last year, the tomb has been surrounded by ISIS forces and facing them are 50 Turkish special troops. In March this year, ISIS warned that it would "raze the tomb". So far no such attack has happened.