Europe

Turkish leader faults delays in fight against Islamic State

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a press conference at the presidency compound in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. Iran's president has compared talk of renegotiating its nuclear accord to "converting a shirt back to cotton," and says U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's talk of doing so is "mainly slogans." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) (The Associated Press)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a press conference at the presidency compound in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. Iran's president has compared talk of renegotiating its nuclear accord to "converting a shirt back to cotton," and says U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's talk of doing so is "mainly slogans." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) (The Associated Press)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a press conference at the presidency compound in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. Iran's president has compared talk of renegotiating its nuclear accord to "converting a shirt back to cotton," and says U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's talk of doing so is "mainly slogans." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) (The Associated Press)

Turkey's president has criticized delays in the U.S.-led coalition's offensive against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

Speaking in Ankara on Tuesday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "the operations that are constantly delayed are of no benefit for the well-being of these two countries' people."

Erdogan spoke after the capture of an Uzbekistan national who authorities say trained in Afghanistan and carried out a deadly New Year's nightclub attack in Istanbul.

Turkey is a partner in the U.S.-led coalition against IS, which claimed the attack. The extremist group said it was a reprisal for Turkey's campaign to dislodge the militants from the northern Syrian town of al-Bab.

Turkish officials say Washington hasn't done enough to support Turkey's operations in al-Bab.