65 ISIL militants ‘neutralized’ in northern Syria: Turkish military

ANKARA

Some 65 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants were “neutralized” in northern Syria over the last 24 hours as part of the Euphrates Shield operation, the Turkish military said Jan. 23.   
   
Turkish authorities use the word “neutralized” in their statements to imply the militants in question were either killed, captured or surrounded.      

The Turkish Armed Forces also hit 194 ISIL targets in northern Syria, a Turkish General Staff statement said.      

Turkish jets hit 14 ISIL targets in the al-Bab and Bzagah regions, including six headquarters, seven shelters and an armored vehicle manufacturing facility.      

Coalition forces also hit targets in Tadif, Abu Jabbar and Uvayshiah on the 153rd day of the operation.      

Since the start of the operation, 3,113 handmade explosives and 55 mines have been neutralized under controlled conditions, the military statement added.      

Operation Euphrates Shield began late August 2016 to tighten border security, eliminate terror threats along Turkey’s borders and support opposition forces in Syria. Turkey currently backs the Free Syrian Army (FSA) as a part of its operation.