ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 47 militants of the Islamic State (ISIS) were killed by Turkish airstrikes in Syria over a 24-hour period, the Turkish military said on Wednesday.
“The Turkish army killed at least 47 Daesh (ISIS) terrorists in northern Syria in the past 24 hours as part of Operation Euphrates Shield,” Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency quoted the military as saying.
Turkey’s military operation in neighboring Syria began in late August. Ankara has been backing its allied Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the Syrian war.
"The Turkish Air Force carried out airstrikes and launched artillery fire against Daesh positions in several areas of northern Syria including Kafrah, Duvaybik, Wakah and Arshak, destroying 77 targets,” the Turkish General Staff said in a statement reported by Anadolu.
The statement added that during the operation eight FSA soldiers were killed and 22 more wounded.
Turkish forces did not suffer any casualties, according to the report.
Last week, Turkish and FSA forces reportedly killed 18 ISIS militants in Syria, in fighting in which a Turkish soldier was killed and three others wounded.
Nearly 1,100 square kilometers of northern Syria have been cleared of ISIS since the beginning of Turkey’s military intervention in Syria, according to the Turkish military statement.
