Turkey’s PM discusses military operations with Merkel, Ban Ki-moon

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu discussed operations against ISIS and the PKK with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a telephone call, Davutoglu's office said on Sunday.

In the call on Saturday evening, Ban emphasized support for Turkey's struggle against terrorism, it said.

Additionally, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday urged Davutoglu to stick with the Kurdish peace process despite escalating violence, her office said.

Merkel assured Davutoglu of the "solidarity and support of Germany in the fight against terrorism" but also recalled "the principle of proportionality in the implementation of necessary measures".

The chancellor appealed to the Turkish premier "not to give up the peace process with the Kurds but to continue it despite all the difficulties," Merkel's spokesman Georg Streiter said in a statement.