One Turkish soldier killed, five wounded in northern Syria operations

ANKARA

AA photo

One Turkish soldier was killed and five others were wounded on Jan. 25 during the ongoing Euphrates Shield operation in northern Syria, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported. 

Specialized sergeant Kerem Çalışkancı was killed in clashes with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in the al-Bab and Kabr al Mukri regions of northern Syria at around 5 p.m. on the 155th day of the operation.

The wounded soldiers were immediately rushed to hospitals in the border provinces of Kilis and Gaziantep.

More than 40 Turkish soldiers have been killed so far since the launch of the operation.

Meanwhile, Turkish fighter jets hit 206 ISIL targets in northern Syria, neutralizing 23 militants, the Turkish General Staff said on Jan. 26.

Turkish authorities use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply the militants in question were killed, captured, or surrounded.        

The statement said that Turkish jets hit 19 buildings used by ISIL militants and three bomb-laden vehicles.     
The latest air raid also destroyed ISIL positions shelters, arms depots, command and control facilities, weapons, vehicles, and assault positions near the al-Bab, Bazagah, Tadif, and Kabr Al Mukri areas.        

The statement added that since the beginning of the operation, 3,209 handmade explosives and 55 mines were neutralized under controlled conditions.   

The operation, which began in late August 2016, aims to improve security, support coalition forces and eliminate terrorist threats along Turkey’s border by backing Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters with artillery and jets.