Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yidirim on Friday denounced as a "bare-faced lie" suggestions in Western media that Ankara's military operation in Syria was singling out Kurdish people rather than jihadists.

"They either know nothing about the world, or else their job is to report a bare-faced lie," Yildirim said when asked to comment on claims the operation was not targeting Islamic State (IS) jihadists but Kurds. "Our soldiers' mission is to ensure our border security and the life and property of our citizens. The news apart from that is a just lie," he added.