Shock Turkey claim: Putin 'PROTECTING ISIS in Syria' and stopping us bombing them

He restated the vow that Turkey will retaliate in "whatever form it deems necessary" against anyone who attacks the country.

Ankara also believe Russia and President Vladimir Putin are guilty of protecting ISIS in Syrian air space.

The explosive claim will only deepen divides between Russia and Turkey, with relations at boiling point since a Russian fighter jet was shot out of the sky on Turkey's border with Syria. 

Mr Davutoglu was asked about the prospect of Turkey launching revenge air strikes against ISIS after a blast in Istanbul killed 10 people yesterday. 

He added that the country will take more visible security steps in densely populated areas in the wake of the attack. 

In November, the Russian jet was shot out of the sky for allegedly encroaching into Turkish air space, with one of the pilots killed.

Putin has threatened to abandon his country's mission in Syria, supposedly against ISIS, demanded Turkey apologise, and accused Ankara of shooting the jet down to protect its oil trade with ISIS. 

In an X-rated put-down, Putin also accused the Turkish of "licking the Americans in a certain place".

Russia launched a bombing campaign against terror cult ISIS at the start of October, with a plane of its citizens blown up over the Sinai Desert a few weeks later.

The Kremlin insists it is targeting ISIS, but US security chiefs are sceptical that Moscow also blitzes Syrian rebels fighting the regime of president Bashar al-Assad in the ongoing civil war.

(dailystar.co.uk)