TURKISH President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to extend the war in Syria at an Istanbul election rally yesterday, promising new missions in the country.

Mr Erdogan told supporters that Turkey’s army was ready for new operations in Syria as he laid out his manifesto for snap elections next month.

The increasingly dictatorial president launched the so-called Operation Olive Branch offensive in January in an operation aimed at dealing with “terrorist organisations” on Turkey’s border with Syria.