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Turkey strikes Daesh in Syria, as militants claim responsibility for Diyarbakir

November 5, 2016 at 12:40 pm

Free Syrian Army members attack Daesh positions in Aleppo, Syria as part of ‘Operation Euphrates Sheild’ on October 27 2016 [Anadolu]

Turkey’s military hit 71 Daesh targets in Syria over the last 24 hours, the army said today, intensifying strikes against the militant group, which has claimed responsibility for the latest bomb attack in southeast Turkey.

Five Daesh fighters were killed in the strikes, as were five Turkey-backed rebels and one Turkish soldier, the army said in its statement. It said coalition forces conducted five air strikes, killing another eight Daesh militants.

Turkey is backing a group of Syrian Arabs and Turkmen in northern Syria as a part of its “Euphrates Shield” operation, which has swept Daesh almost entirely from its southern border. The Free Syrian Army (FSA) was formed early in the conflict to oust President Bashar Al-Assad from power.

Officers and soldiers who formerly served the Assad regime defected and contributed heavily to the manpower of the FSA, which is also backed by the US.

Daesh claims responsibility for Diyarbakir blast

The extremist group has claimed responsibility for a car bomb in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir yesterday through their Amaq news agency. The attack killed nine people and wounded more than 100.

The attacks were previously thought to be related to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group also recognised as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the EU.

This is due to the fact that Turkey arrested Kurdish MPs from the People’s Democratic Party hours before the attack, accused of being linked to the PKK.

Casting doubt on Daesh’s claims, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said yesterday that the PKK were responsible for the attack, and also claimed that a known PKK militant was found dead at the scene.