Turkey will do whatever it can to prevent the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane falling to jihadists, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said after the Turkish parliament gave the green light for military action.

Islamic State (IS) militants have now advanced to a few kilometers from Kobane, known as Ain al-Arab in Arabic, which lies just across the Turkish border. Turkey is hosting tens of thousands off refugees from the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressed the West on Wednesday to find a longterm solution to the crises in Syria and Iraq, saying dropping "tons of bombs" on Islamic State militants would only provide temporary respite.

Erdogan has pushed for the ousting of President Bashar Assad throughout the Syria crisis to settle the conflict and said that international action had to go well beyond air strikes.

Turkey is undergoing a "worrying rollback" on human rights under the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with curbs on judicial independence and media freedom, Human Rights Watch said Monday.

Erdogan won the presidential election in August after over a decade as prime minister, despite a turbulent year that saw unprecedented protests and corruption allegations against his inner circle.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam hoped that the case of the soldiers and policemen abducted by Islamists from Syria will be kept away from political extortion, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.

He told the daily that he supports holding negotiations with the captors in order to release the hostages, who were abducted in August.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey could take a military role in the coalition fighting Islamic State (IS) militants as Ankara moves to take a frontline position in the campaign, the Hurriyet daily reported Saturday.

In comments made aboard his presidential plane to Turkish reporters as he traveled back from the United States, Erdogan also indicated he backed the use of ground troops inside Syria, Hurriyet reported on its website.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday signaled Turkey would take a more active role in the coalition against Islamic State (IS) militants following the release of Turkish hostages held by the jihadists.

Ankara has for months frustrated the West with its distinctly low-key role in the campaign against IS jihadists but insisted its hands were tied by concerns over the fate of the hostages.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has informed the Lebanese government that Ankara is not willing to act as a mediator in the case of the soldiers and policemen who were kidnapped by jihadists last month, As Safir daily reported on Friday.

Turkish officials have also informed the Lebanese authorities that their rejection to mediate stems from the “sensitivity” of the case, Lebanese ministerial sources said.

President Barack Obama spoke briefly with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday about the war against the Islamic State group and the U.S.-led coalition which the Turks have yet to join.

Officials said Obama called Erdogan from Air Force One as he returned from the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the Turkish leader met with Vice President Joe Biden.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday urged European governments to provide greater support to Syrian refugees after the launch of Western airstrikes in the country.

Turkey has voiced support for the U.S.-led strikes against Islamic State jihadists in Syria but has said that the Western forces have not used its airspace.

Turkey has toughened its rhetoric against Islamic State jihadists but the West is still waiting for action from Ankara after months of frustration with its lukewarm cooperation.

Ankara on Wednesday denied Turkish air space had been used in the latest U.S.-led strikes against IS militants in Syria, but made clear that Turkey strongly supported the campaign.