Ground Intervention Needed to Defeat ISIL - Erdogan

Turkish President Erdogan said that airstrikes were insufficient to defeat the Islamic State.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A ground intervention is needed to defeat the Islamic State militant group, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday.

"I have already said that I find the coalition air strikes to be insufficient. A ground intervention will be necessary to overcome Daesh [Islamic State]," Erdogan said in an interview with France 24 television channel.

Turkey is part of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State. The coalition, comprising more than 60 countries, has been carrying out airstrikes against the militants' positions in both Syria and Iraq.

Last month, Turkey and the United States signed an agreement to train and equip Syrian rebels to combat ISIL.

The Turkish president also expressed support for the Saudi-led military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen and may consider providing logistical support to the coalition.

On Wednesday, Yemen's Houthi rebels gained further ground as they approached the city of Aden. Following their advance and calls from President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi for intervention, a Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Arab nations started carrying out airstrikes against Houthi positions.