Turkey's top military commander on Wednesday warned of a stronger response if Syrian shells continued to land on Turkish soil, the private NTV television network reported amid fears of a cross-border escalation of Syria's civil war.

"We have retaliated (for Syrian shelling) and if it continues, we'll respond more strongly," Armed forces chief of staff General Necdet Ozel said in Akcakale, a border town where five civilians were killed by Syrian shelling last week.

Turkey warned Syria again on Tuesday that it would not hesitate to retaliate for any strike on its soil as the country's top military commander visited troops stationed at the reinforced border.

"It has become inevitable for our armed forces to retaliate in kind... as the Syrian administration maintains its aggressive position," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Turkey's government will seek approval from parliament for cross-border military operation in Syria "when deemed necessary", at a special session Thursday morning, the private NTV television reported.

The decision came after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a three-and-half hour cabinet meeting following Syrian shelling that killed five Turkish nationals in a border town.

The Turkish government asked parliament Monday to renew the mandate for its armed forces to attack Kurdish rebel bases in Iraq for another year, amid an upsurge in clashes between the two sides.

The assembly will prioritize debate on the bill submitted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), parliamentary sources said, with the current mandate expiring on October 17.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected Sunday as leader of his Islamic-rooted party, securing his seat for three more years.

Erdogan faced no competition in the vote, which was held at a congress of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in a sports arena with thousands of party members and guests in attendance.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged China, Iran and Russia Sunday to end their support for the Syrian regime, warning that "history will not forgive" their stance in the face of mounting bloodshed.

"Please rethink your current attitude. History will not forgive those who have sided with these brutal regimes," Erdogan said in a speech at a congress of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey could hold new negotiations with Kurdish rebels, in the face of a surge in deadly violence in the Kurdish-dominated southeast.

"We are ready to do whatever is necessary to (find) a solution," Erdogan told Turkish television late Wednesday, but insisting that the militants who have been fighting the Turkish state since 1984 must lay down their weapons.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has canceled a visit to the United States where he was due to attend the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting, the Anatolia news agency reported Friday.

Erdogan, who was originally scheduled to be in New York between September 22 and 25, will not be able to do so due to his upcoming party congress, as well as his busy schedule, said Anatolia.

Seven Turkish troops were killed and almost 60 others were wounded Tuesday in a rocket assault on their military convoy in Turkey's southeast, according to local security sources.

The military convoy was hit by Kurdish rebel rockets on the highway on the outskirts of southeastern Bingol province, sparking a fire that wounded 58 soldiers aboard an army bus.

Some 500 Kurdish rebels have been killed over the past month by Turkish security forces, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday.

"In operations held during the past month, some 500 terrorists were rendered ineffective in the (southeast) region," Erdogan said in remarks televised by NTV news channel.