Turkey strikes Islamic State inside Syria, kills scores

Fifty-five Islamic State group militants were killed when Turkish forces bombarded targets in northern Syria on Sunday, Turkish news agencies reported.

Three missile launchers and three vehicles belonging to the militants stationed in Aleppo were also destroyed when artillery strikes hit.

The reports could not immediately be independently verified.

At least 21 people have been killed in rocket attacks fired across the border Syria into Turkish territories since the start of the year. 

Earlier this week, former Turkish prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, who resigned on Thursday, suggested authorities were prepared to send ground troops into Syria in a bid to defend the border from continuous Islamic State group attacks.

"If it becomes necessary then we will send the ground forces," Davutoglu told Al-Jazeera television in an interview, when asked if Turkey was mulling sending troops to Syria.

Turkey has hit back with artillery fire of its own against IS but has always stopped short of making any firm commitment to send its troops over the border.

Drones from the US-led international coalition fighting IS have also taken off from Turkey's Incirlik base in the south of the country for bombing raids against IS targets.

Asked if Turkey could act unilaterally against IS, Davutoglu said Turkey had a right to self-defence against IS based on UN resolutions.

"But we still prefer an international consensus. As IS is an issue that concerns the whole world," he added.

Turkey has in the past repeatedly said it is open to a ground operation in Syria but wanted to move in cooperation with its Western and Gulf allies.

Turkey's NATO allies have sometimes lamented that Ankara could do more in the fight against IS but Turkey appears to have stepped up efforts in the last weeks after a string of attacks on its soil.