Kerry in Turkey to seek support against Islamic State

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Turkey on Friday and Saturday as part of a Middle East tour to rally efforts to tackle Islamic State (IS) militants, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced Thursday.

Kerry's meetings will be held in Ankara where he is scheduled to meet with the Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Following this meeting, he will be received by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"In these meetings, bilateral, regional and global issues on our joint agenda, as well as opportunities for further developing our relations and cooperation will be elaborated on," said the ministry in a written statement on Thursday.

Turkish officials have expressed concerns over the country's role in any efforts to tackle IS in case it might jeopardise the security of some 46 Turkish nationals - including a senior diplomat - held by the militants since June, after they seized the Turkish consulate in Mosul. Erdogan has warned against risking efforts to have them released.

Turkey is seen as a crucial in the fight against IS, which controls large parts of Syria and has seized territory in the oil-rich north of Iraq.

After the two-day NATO Summit in Wales last week, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived in Ankara to discuss Turkey's contribution to the US-led coalition against IS threat with Turkish officials.

Hagel said during the visit that Turkey would play a role in the fight against IS, but that the country's "limitations" would be respected.

"They want to play roles, specific roles. They will play those. (They) will be articulated by the Turkish government - not by me - when that decision is made," he added.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the ongoing Iraq, Syria and Gaza conflicts with King Abdullah of Jordan during a visit to the Jordanian capital Amman, while he visited Saudi Arabia on Thursday to secure Arab support.

This came after US President Barack Obama announced extended bombing raids against IS targets in Iraq and authorised them in Syria for the first time. He said the United States would work with regional allies to tackle the threat.

Turkey openly joined the anti-IS coalition but is believed to be wary of involving itself in direct military activity. Ankara has allowed the use of the İncirlik airbase for humanitarian and strategic purposes, but not for conducting military strikes.