Turkey kills 32 Daesh militants in north Syria

The Turkish military and allied Syrian opposition fighters killed 32 Daesh militants in the latest clashes in northern Syria yesterday, Turkey’s armed forces said in a statement today.

In a round-up of its military operations over the last 24 hours in support of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in northern Syria, the army said Turkish warplanes destroyed 21 Daesh targets in the areas of Al-Bab and Bzagah, including buildings and vehicles.

Turkey’s military operation, dubbed “Euphrates Shield”, was launched more than four months ago to drive Daesh from Turkey’s southern borders with Syria and prevent a Kurdish militia taking territory in their wake. In recent weeks, the forces have been besieging the town of Al-Bab.

While Turkey was quick to recapture less well-defended towns such as Jarablus and Dabiq, Daesh has been resisting the Turkish military and the FSA’s attempts to breach their defences, and have managed to inflict the heaviest losses Ankara has suffered in Syria since it intervened.

Daesh’s Amaq news agency released footage last month showing the aftermath of what it said was a Turkish airstrike. Dozens of civilians were shown blown apart, including women and children. Amaq’s report was corroborated by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor.

Turkey has claimed to have killed hundreds of Daesh fighters since Euphrates Shield began.