Turkey's parliament has begun discussing a motion that would authorize the government to launch military strikes against IS militants in Iraq and Syria.
The government bill calls for authorizing the Turkish army to launch operations against all threats, including IS terrorists, Kurdish Peshmerga forces and even Syrian troops.
The mandate also authorizes incursions into foreign soil from inside Turkish territories.
This is while Turkey's major opposition parties have opposed the proposal.
The Republican People’s Party and Freedom and Democracy Party said the mandate was unacceptable.
However, the parliament, which is dominated by the ruling Justice and Development Party, is expected to approve the motion.
This comes days after Ankara deployed some 15 tanks and took position in the border town of Mursitpinar, which lies just northwest of the Syrian border town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobani to Kurds.
IS militants have had the city of Ain al-Arab under siege during the past several days. Reports say the militants have now moved to within a few kilometers of the Turkish border.
Since September 22, the US and its allies have been conducting airstrikes against the IS inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.
Turkey, a NATO member, has been under pressure by Western countries to allow them and their allies to use the Turkish territory in order to carry out airstrikes on IS militants.
