Turkey, US mull move on ISIL stronghold Raqqa

Ankara and Washington are discussing military action on Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told a group of journalists on his way back to Turkey from the G-20 summit in China, where he had a tête-à-tête meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama. 

"Raqqa is an important center for Daesh," Erdoğan said, using an Arabic acronym for the jihadist group. "Obama particularly wants to do something together [with us] about Raqqa. We have told him that this is not a problem for us."

Turkey has suggested the high-ranking soldiers of both parties could come together and discuss the issue, and "then what is necessary will be done," he said.

"This is an issue that we have been discussing with the United States," he said while responding to a question on whether Turkey would play a role in reclaiming Raqqa. 

"What can be done there will become more concrete after talks," he said. "What can be done on the issue is related to the U.S. stance." 

Turkey does not have the option of taking a step back on Syria or else terror groups will fill in the gap, Erdoğan added. 

"From now on, we have to show that we exist in the region. We do not have an option to step back at this point," the president said, adding that terror groups, such as ISIL, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) or its armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG), would settle there. 

Turkey says the PYD is linked to the PKK, which has accelerated its attacks in Turkey, but the PYD and its armed wing is an ally with the U.S. in the region in the anti-ISIL fight. 

Responding to a question as to whether the U.S. has...