Turkey strikes over 80 Daesh, PKK/PYD targets in Syria

By Ferdi Turkten

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Armed Forces have hit 72 Daesh and 15 PKK/PYD targets with howitzers in Syria as part of Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield on Tuesday, the country's armed forces said in a written statement.

Operation Euphrates Shield, which began on Aug. 24, is backed by the Turkish Armed Forces and is aimed at bolstering border security, supporting coalition forces and eliminating the threat posed by terrorist organizations in Syria, especially Daesh.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July last year. Since then, more than 700 security force members have been martyred and around 8,000 PKK terrorists killed or apprehended.

Meanwhile, coalition forces killed four Daesh terrorists in four airstrikes in northwestern Syria. Two vehicles, two buildings and a mortar were also destroyed.