"The president wished to be in Ankara while the operation is still underway," the spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

The dates of the visit would be determined later, he added.

Gul was due to leave Ankara Tuesday to visit Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo before returning home on February 29.

Earlier Monday, the president was briefed on the progress of the incursion against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels at the army headquarters in Ankara.