Turkish military casualties rise as al-Bab noose tightens
- 7 years ago
Five Turkish soldiers have been killed, and another 10 are wounded, as part of military operations to liberate northern Syria from ISIL occupation.
The Turkish army has been supporting Syrian rebels in an attempt to seize the city of al-Bab from ISIL control.
On Wednesday the Turkish military said its Syrian allies had made significant progress, breaking ISIL defensive lines, and capturing strategically important hills on the city’s outskirts.
“Currently the town is besieged from every side,” said Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to Turkish media Wednesday. “The outer districts of the town have been brought under control.”
The five reported deaths Thursday add to five other soldiers killed in clashes with ISIL this week. Fifteen other Turkish soldiers have been slightly wounded as the noose around al-Bab tightens.
Turkey has had a vested interest in driving ISIL away from its border with Syria. Ankara has effectively created a buffer region between it and the heaviest of fighting since its August 2016 military intervention, code named Operation Euphrates Shield, began.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented this week a detailed plan to oust ISIL from another key northern Syrian city — Raqqa — ISIL’s defacto capital.
Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesperson for President Erdogan, said to local broadcaster NTV that Turkey’s military mission has been helped by increased coordination with the US-led coalition which, in the last 10 days, has conducted air strikes on ISIL targets.
Ankara’s priority Kalin said was to establish a safe zone between the towns of Azaz and Jarablus.
This comes as US President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call with President Erdogan to work closer together in ousting ISIL from both the cities of al-Bab and Raqqa.
The Turkish army has been supporting Syrian rebels in an attempt to seize the city of al-Bab from ISIL control.
On Wednesday the Turkish military said its Syrian allies had made significant progress, breaking ISIL defensive lines, and capturing strategically important hills on the city’s outskirts.
“Currently the town is besieged from every side,” said Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to Turkish media Wednesday. “The outer districts of the town have been brought under control.”
The five reported deaths Thursday add to five other soldiers killed in clashes with ISIL this week. Fifteen other Turkish soldiers have been slightly wounded as the noose around al-Bab tightens.
Turkey has had a vested interest in driving ISIL away from its border with Syria. Ankara has effectively created a buffer region between it and the heaviest of fighting since its August 2016 military intervention, code named Operation Euphrates Shield, began.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented this week a detailed plan to oust ISIL from another key northern Syrian city — Raqqa — ISIL’s defacto capital.
Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesperson for President Erdogan, said to local broadcaster NTV that Turkey’s military mission has been helped by increased coordination with the US-led coalition which, in the last 10 days, has conducted air strikes on ISIL targets.
Ankara’s priority Kalin said was to establish a safe zone between the towns of Azaz and Jarablus.
This comes as US President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call with President Erdogan to work closer together in ousting ISIL from both the cities of al-Bab and Raqqa.