Free Syrian Army reaches Daesh-held Jarabulus

GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AA) - Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces reached the Daesh-held city of Jarabulus Wednesday as part of Operation Euphrates Shield to clear Daesh terrorists from the city, Turkish military sources said.

According to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, the forces managed to besiege and enter the city near the Turkish border from the west and south, capturing a school, bakery, water tower and some bases used by Daesh in the west.

The FSA had earlier captured another Daesh-held village of Kaklijah, some three kilometers (1.86 miles) south of the Turkish-Syrian border. Jarabulus is located 5 km (3 miles) away.

Clashes continue between FSA forces and Daesh militants that are hit continuously by Turkish jets and tanks, the sources added.

Turkish military’s Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria was launched early Wednesday, when artillery and airstrikes were followed by Turkish tanks crossing the border to target Daesh and the PYD in support of the Free Syrian Army fighters.

The operation is in line with the country’s right to self-defense borne out of international treaties and a mandate given to the Armed Forces by the Turkish parliament in 2014 and extended for another year in September 2015.

Operations by the Turkish army which have been actively fighting Daesh, have significantly contributed to ongoing efforts of the U.S.-backed international coalition against the terror group.

Since January, rocket attacks on the Turkish province of Kilis from Daesh-held territory in Syria have killed at least 21 people, while terrorist attacks in Gaziantep blamed on Daesh include Saturday’s suicide bombing of a wedding that killed 54 and a car bomb attack in May that martyred two police officers.