Turkey's Erdogan says Syria's Al-Bab will soon be captured

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that the Syrian city of Al-Bab in northern Syria would be liberated from Daesh soon.

Reuters said that Erdogan delivered a speech in the Turkish city of Izmir on the occasion of opening a natural gas plant, saying that the Free Syrian Army (FSA), backed by the Turkish military, would soon capture Al-Bab.

The FSA has encircled Al-Bab, which has been controlled by Daesh for years, for the past few weeks. Clashes between the FSA and Daesh has escalated during the past few days.

In previous remarks, Erdogan said that the Turkish army is planning for the liberation of the town to be a safe refuge for displaced Syrians.

Read: Turkey continues to press on Al-Bab, ignores Aleppo

Turkish soldiers were also recently burned alive by Daesh, apparently in retaliation for Turkish airstrikes on Al-Bab. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor, confirmed these airstrikes and said some of the victims were children.

Erdogan said:

Unfortunately, some Turkish soldiers were injured and killed…However, the road connecting Al-Bab with Aleppo has already been taken under control. Hopefully, Al-Bab will be soon liberated and its residents will return to their homes.

Read: Battle for Syria’s Al-Bab intensifies, 14 Turkish soldiers killed