ANKARA (Sputnik) – Earlier in the day, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it had issued a note of protest with Moscow's ambassador to Ankara over Russian anti-terrorist airstrikes in Syria. The note, obtained by RIA Novosti, cited an alleged Russian Aerospace Forces strike on a Syrian Turkmen settlement in northern Syria.
"The Russian planes participate in strikes on the Turkmen villages. This is why I requested that the foreign minister summon the Russian ambassador to inform him of this and take necessary measures. The Russian ambassador was told that if the Russian Aerospace Forces are fighting IS, their actions must be directed against the IS," Davutoglu told reporters.
According to the prime minister, if cluster bombs and mass killings are used against the civilians near the Turkish border, this would lead to refugees entering Turkey "and all those who contributed to this will be held accountable."
The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly denied reports of the Russian warplanes hitting civilian infrastructure in Syria. All Russian airstrikes on ISIL targets in Syria were carried out only after preliminary air surveillance had been completed and intelligence provided by the Syrian military has been verified.
