WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday spoke of needed joint efforts to fight terrorism and pledged continuing work toward a political transition in Syria.
In their talks over phone, the two leaders expressed condolences over the loss of lives in each other's country in recent days, as seven Turkish soldiers were killed and 63 others injured earlier in the day when their military convoy was hit by a rocket by suspected militants of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party.
Washington lost its ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other envoys in the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi in eastern Libya, which was sparked by a U.S.-made film that insults Prophet Mohammed.
The new wave of violence against the U.S. and Western targets is continuing in a number of countries.
"The two leaders agreed on the necessity to work together against all forms of terrorism," the White House said in a statement.
"In light of the outrageous attacks on the American consulate in Benghazi and subsequent attacks on American and other nation's facilities across the region, the president commended Prime Minister Erdogan for his leadership in calling for resistance to provocation and condemning violence," the White House said.
In their discussions about the ongoing Syrian conflict, Obama and Erdogan expressed their concerns over the Syrian government's "escalating use of violence against civilians," the growing humanitarian crisis and the urgency of transition.
They pledged to build on the "close and effective" cooperation between their governments to advance the transition, the White House said.