Turkish warplanes bombed ISIS positions in Syria for the first time early Friday, escalating the conflict in the region a day after members of the terrorist group killed a Turkish soldier in a border clash.
Three F-16s took off from an air base in southeastern Turkey and struck three ISIS targets just inside Syria, Turkish authorities said.
Turkey's decision to attack ISIS positions was taken during a national security meeting Thursday headed by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
It followed the firefight earlier Thursdayin which at least five ISIS militants in northern Syria approached the border and fired on a Turkish border unit, killing one of the soldiers and wounding two others, according to the Turkish military.
Turkey initially responded to the clash by firing artillery into Syria.
The Turkish military has targeted positions in Syria before but only as a response to incoming fire from the Syrian side of the border. This is the first time Turkey has used its warplanes to attack ISIS positions.
The airstrikes on ISIS came after news emerged of a tentative deal to increase U.S. and coalition access to Turkish air bases, including Incirlik near the Syrian border. The deal could provide the U.S. military with crucial access from Turkey into Syria and Iraq that it has long wanted for the campaign against ISIS.
Davutoglu told a news conference Friday that a "certain amount of headway has been made" in negotiations with the United States regarding the two countries' cooperation in the fight against ISIS.
He added that progress in the talks was not related to Thursday's attack on the Turkish border. "This was a decision made on the basis of Turkish national security," he said.
Further strikes not ruled out
The Turkish airstrikes Friday hit two ISIS bases and a gathering point, the Turkish Prime Minister's office said in a statement.
The targets were chosen based on intelligence reports suggesting a buildup of weapons and explosives in the area, a Turkish official told CNN on condition of anonymity.
The fighter jets have completed their mission for now, but the Turkish official didn't rule out the possibility of further airstrikes.
"We are committed to eliminating the national security threat," the official said.
There is a longstanding resolution that has been passed by the Turkish parliament permitting military action against Syria.
"The targets were hit without going into Syrian airspace. If there was a need, we would have gone into Syrian airspace as well," said Davutoglu.
Any terror group that threatens Turkey's borders -- which are being watched closely -- will be be met by "the most ferocious response," Davutoglu said. However, he played down talk of Turkey going to war in Syria.
"The war in Syria has been going on for four years and Turkey has not been a part of a war, and will not be a part of a war," he said.
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