Erdogan, however, hinted that no immediate military action was planned.

"We could send the motion to parliament tomorrow," he said late Wednesday in an interview with CNN Turk television, adding that a vote on the motion was likely to take place next week.

He said the government was planning to seek authorisation for an incursion into northern Iraq, limited to a period of one year.

"It does not mean that everything will happen once we have the authorisation," he said. "We want to have the authorisation in hand so as to make a swift decision when it becomes necessary."