ISTANBUL — Turkish ground forces have launched a major offensive against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for a suicide bombing that killed 10 German tourists in Istanbul this week, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Thursday. Nearly 200 militants were killed by Turkish tank and artillery fire, which struck at least 500 of the group’s positions over the last 48 hours, said Mr. Davutoglu, addressing Turkish ambassadors in the capital, Ankara. It was not immediately clear how the government had verified the number of militants killed. The prime minister did not say whether there were any Turkish casualties, or elaborate on the locations of the Islamic State targets. A suicide bomber identified as a Syrian citizen and Islamic State operative struck in the heart of the Sultanahmet tourist district in Istanbul on Tuesday, killing 10 people and wounding at least 15. It was the first time the group had attacked tourists in Turkey. Turkey has stepped up its cooperation with the American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Syria after drawing criticism from its Western allies that it was not doing enough. The government’s reluctance may have been due, in part, to concerns that the country, which shares a border with both Iraq and Syria, would face retaliation from the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Tuesday’s attack is the third major suicide bombing in Turkey since it joined the coalition. The deadliest, last year in the capital, Ankara, killed more 100 people. Mr. Davutoglu has vowed to continue the fight against terrorism, saying that Turkey will carry out airstrikes against Islamic State militants if necessary. “Every attack that targets Turkey’s guests will be punished,” he said. Referring to the Islamic State by its Arabic acronym, he added: “We will press ahead with our determined struggle until the Daesh terrorist organization leaves Turkey’s borders, and until it loses its ability to continue with its acts that soil our sacred religion, Islam.” The Turkish military is also carrying out a counterinsurgency campaign against Kurdish militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or P.K.K., after the group ended a two-year cease-fire in July. That has left Turkish security forces stretched between two wars at home and abroad. On Wednesday, the P.K.K. struck the headquarters of a police station in a district of the southeastern city of Diyarbakir with a truck bomb, in one of its biggest attacks since the conflict between the Kurdish militants and Turkish state was reignited. Turkish security forces have fought a three-decade-long war against insurgents seeking greater Kurdish autonomy, in a conflict that has claimed over 40,000 lives. “The P.K.K just took the conflict to a whole new level,” said Metin Goc, a medic from Diyarbakir who was reached by phone. “They are carrying out more sophisticated attacks, like we see in Iraq or Syria, that also target civilians.” “This means one thing: The Turks will now step up their campaign in retaliation and even more civilian blood will be shed.”
Turkish prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, announced on 14 January that the country’s security forces had begun a major operation against ISIS in retaliation for the deadly suicide bomb attack in Istanbul on 12 January. Davutoglu said that 200 ISIS fighters had been killed in attacks that had struck at more than 500 of the group’s known positions, although these claims have not been verified. Turkey has previously been accused of failing to do enough to target ISIS. Davutoglu was however keen to show his country’s fresh commitment, and announced that: “We will press ahead with our determined struggle until the Daesh terrorist organization leaves Turkey’s borders, and until it loses its ability to continue with its acts that soil our sacred religion, Islam.” The US is also considering sending up to 300 special operations troops into Syria as part of an expanded campaign against ISIS, according to reports.