Turkey Parliament to Debate New Mandate for Syria Operations

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.

Under the Turkish constitution, any cross-border operations launched by the army, such as Turkish strikes targeting Kurdish rebel bases in northern Iraq, need the authorization of parliament.

The mandate would allow the Turkish army to stage operations inside Syrian territory, local media reported.