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Turkey on Wednesday launched a military operation in northeastern Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote on Twitter.

Erdogan said the offensive is called "Operation Peace Spring," adding it was targeting Islamic State (IS) militants, along with Syrian Kurdish fighters known as Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Turkey considers YPG militants to be linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought a four-decade insurgency for Kurdish rights against the Turkish state.

"Our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area," Erdogan said on Twitter.

"We will preserve Syria's territorial integrity and liberate local communities from terrorists."

"Turkey's intention is clear: to dismantle the terrorist corridor on our border."

Several large explosions were reported in the Syrian town of Ras al-Ayn, across the border from the Turkish city of Ceylanpinar, as the operation began Wednesday.

Turkish state-run news also reported Turkish artillery shelling suspected Syrian Kurdish positions in the town of Tal Abyad, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) to the west.