Turkey is ready to send ground troops into Syria if necessary, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday, after weeks of deadly rocket strikes on a Turkish region from extremists across the border.

“If it becomes necessary then we will send the ground forces,” Davutoglu told Al-Jazeera television in an interview, when asked if Turkey was mulling sending troops to Syria.

“We are ready to take all measures that we need, both inside Turkey and outside, to provide for our own security,” he added, according to a transcript published on Al-Jazeera’s Turkish website.

The Turkish border region of Kilis — which lies opposite areas controlled by ISIS in Syria — has been battered since January by rocket fire from the other side of the border which has claimed 20 lives.

Turkey has hit back with artillery fire of its own against IS but has always stopped short of making any firm commitment to send its troops over the border.

Asked if Turkey could act unilaterally against IS, Davutoglu said Turkey had a right to self-defense against ISIS based on UN resolutions.

“But we still prefer an international consensus. As ISIS is an issue that concerns the whole world,” he added.

Turkey has in the past repeatedly said it is open to a ground operation in Syria but wanted to move in cooperation with its Western and Gulf allies.

AFP