Erdogan on potential land incursion in Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday he would carry out a land invasion into Kurdish areas in northern Syria.

Turkey has launched a barrage of airstrikes on suspected Kurdish militant targets in northern Syria and Iraq in recent days, in retaliation for a deadly November 13 bombing in Istanbul that Ankara blames on the militant groups.

The groups have denied involvement in the bombing.

Ankara's allies, particularly Russia, have attempted to avert a ground incursion, but Erdogan said on Wednesday in a speech to his ruling party’s legislators in Ankara that the air operations are “just the beginning” and that Turkey is determined to "close down all of our southern borders...with a security strip that will prevent the possibility of attacks on our country."

Turkey has carried out a series of incursions into Syria since 2016 and already controls parts of northern Syria.

Erdogan said the new planned military offensive, to be carried out “at the most convenient time for us” would target the regions of Tel Rifaat, Mambij and Kobani, which is also known by its Arabic name Ayn Al Arab.

“The day is near when those concrete tunnels which the terrorists use for safety will become their graves,” he said.

Erdogan also wished a "speedy recovery" to those injured in the magnitude-5.9 earthquake that hit a town in northwestern Turkey early Wednesday.

"Although the earthquake caused damage to many buildings in Golkaya (epicentre of the earthquake in Duzce province), fortunately, we did not experience any serious destruction or loss," he said.