Turkey-US collaboration can end ISIL: President Erdoğan

Turkey and the U.S. could end the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) if they collaborate against the group together, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stated.

Turkish military officials were in contact with their American counterparts and shared Ankara's conditions regarding the fight against ISIL, daily Hürriyet quoted Erdoğan as saying on Sept. 25 during an interview conducted en route from the U.S. to Turkey. 

The total number of ISIL members in Syria was nearly 10,000, while similar figures applied to Iraq, he said. 
"If Turkey and the U.S. cannot cope with this number [ISIL militants], what a shame," he stated, stressing that if both countries used their full capabilities, they could end the jihadist group. 

"The arms of the coalition countries should target Daesh [ISIL], the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party [PYD], and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units [YPG] instead of our tanks. But instead German 'Milan' arms in the hands of terrorists hit our tanks," Erdoğan said.

Elaborating on how the leading actors in the Syrian crisis considered a no-fly zone proposal in the war-torn country, Erdoğan said the U.S. had welcomed Turkey's proposal since the beginning of talks, while Russian President Vladimir Putin did not say "no."

"What is important is the support that would be given by the 65 member countries of the coalition forces. [U.S. Secretary of State John] Kerry, in his recent statement, mentioned a no-fly zone. That's where they would end. They have no other choice," he stated.

Turkey was continuing its "train and equip program" for Syrian opposition in order to prepare a "national military," Erdoğan said, claiming that there were a total of 65,000 fighters involved.

He...