ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A Turkish soldier was killed in northern Syria during a clash with Islamic State (ISIS) militants early on Wednesday. According to the Dogan News Agency the clash occurred in the village of Ziyara, which ISIS attacked and attempted to infiltrate. Three other Turkish soldiers were also wounded in that attack. The Turkish military said its forces killed 18 ISIS militants in the attack. The Turkish Army released a statement saying that Turkish warplanes targeted ISIS forces in the same area in support of its forces on the ground. Also on Wednesday, two Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters were killed fighting ISIS southwest of the border-town of Al-Rai in a separate incident. The killing of the Turkish soldier on Wednesday comes nearly a month after three Turkish soldiers were killed in Syria in early September when ISIS launched "a rocket attack" against two Turkish tanks near Al-Rai. Turkey intervened directly in Syria late last August in support of hundreds of FSA fighters, using their air force, armor and small numbers of Special Forces.
