Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he proposed, to the U.S. and Russia, the setting up of a no-fly zone in northern Syria, after Ankara-backed fighters pushed the Islamic State group from the border area. 

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 that threaten our country in northern Syria," Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara.

Turkish police on Monday raided three major courts in Istanbul in search of more than 170 suspects wanted over last month's attempted coup, reports said.

With a thorough shake-up of its armed forces, a reassessment of foreign policy and the biggest purge in its modern history, Turkey has undergone a transformation in the month since the July 15 coup bid.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's approval rating soared by over 20 percentage points after last month's failed coup, reaching the highest level since his election two years ago, a poll said on Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Istanbul on Sunday for a pro-democracy rally organized by the ruling party, bringing to an end three weeks of demonstrations in support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after last month's failed coup.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that U.S. State Secretary John Kerry intends to visit this month, in what would be the first trip by a top Western dignitary since a failed putsch.

Kerry's visit, if confirmed, comes at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Ankara in the wake of the attempted military takeover on July 15.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said he wanted to introduce constitutional changes to bring the Turkish spy agency and military chief of staff directly under his control as he seeks to tighten his grip on the country after the failed coup.

On a barren plot on the outskirts of Istanbul, where the stony ground bakes under the merciless summer sun, a lone sign gives a macabre hint to the purpose of the arid wasteland.

Two Turkish generals serving in Afghanistan have been detained in Dubai on suspicion of links to the July 15 failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Turkish official said Tuesday.