The Turkish operation inside Syrian territory is aimed not just against jihadists but also Kurdish militia and should permanently put an end to problems on the border, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.

"From 4:00 am (0100 GMT) our forces began an operation against the Daesh (IS) and PYD (Kurdish Democratic Union Party) terror groups," Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara, adding the move was aimed at "putting an end" to problems on the border.

As he spoke, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported that pro-Ankara Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels had already penetrated three kilometres (two miles) inside Syria towards the IS-held town of Jarabulus.