Turkish army tanks take up position on the Turkish-Syrian border near the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province September 29, 2014.

Turkey’s parliament approved granted on Thursday the government authorization to launch military incursions into Syria and Iraq as well as allow foreign forces to use its territory for possible operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Turkish parliament voted 298-98 in favor of the motion which sets the legal framework for any Turkish military involvement, and for the potential use of Turkish bases by foreign troops, the Associated Press reported.

Turkey, a NATO member with a large and modern military, has yet to define what role it intends to play in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS.

The Turkish parliament had previously approved operations into Iraq and Syria to attack Kurdish separatists or to thwart threats from the Syrian regime. Thursday’s motion expands those powers to address threats from ISIS militants who control a large cross-border swath of Iraq and Syria, in some parts right up to the Turkish border, the AP said.

 
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