US prepared for military solution against IS in Syria

The US and Turkey are preparing for a military solution against the Islamic State group in Syria if a political solution is not possible, said US Vice President Joe Biden Saturday, after talks with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul.

Biden's announcement comes amid uncertainty over peace talks that are due to begin in Geneva on Monday.

Talks risk being delayed because of a dispute over members of the opposition delegation.

On Friday, a senior Syrian opposition official Friday ruled out even indirect peace talks with the government before a halt to Russian airstrikes and the lifting of government blockades on populated areas.

"We do know it would better if we can reach a political solution but we are prepared ..., if that's not possible, to have a military solution to this operation in taking out Daesh," Biden said at a news conference after a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Daesh is the derogatory Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

Biden was referring to a military solution against IS, not Syria as a whole said a US official.

The two also discussed ways to further support Sunni Arab rebels fighting against Syria president Bashir al-Assad, said Biden.

PKK 'poses similar threat to IS'

Biden also said after talks that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) poses a similar threat to Turkey as IS, condemning the Kurdish militants as "a terror group plain and simple".

The vice president hailed Turkey for taking "very important steps" to counter IS jihadists and said progress in the fight would now speed up.

Biden also said the PKK poses a similar threat to Turkey as IS.

IS "is not the only existential threat to the people of Turkey, the PKK is equally a threat and we are aware of that.. it is a terror group plain and simple and what they continue to do is absolutely outrageous," Biden said.

The PKK, listed as a terror group by Washington and the EU, has killed dozens of members of the Turkish security forces in attacks since a truce collapsed in July.

However Turkey has repeatedly expressed concern that Washington was seeking to woo the PKK - as well as Kurdish militias inside Syria - as an ally on the fight against IS.

"We do agree with you that in terms of their actions Daesh, PKK and (Al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate) Al-Nusra... are simply terrorist groups," said Biden.

He praised Turkey for taking "very important steps to improve the security of its border" from IS militants who until recently controlled much of the frontier region in Syria.