Turkish army says Syrian village cleared of terrorists

By Baris Gundogan

ANKARA (AA) - A Syrian village in the Aleppo region was cleared of terrorists by Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces as part of Operation Euphrates Shield, Turkey’s armed forces said Friday.

In a statement, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) said that they hit nine terrorist targets 67 times using Turkish army “firtina” (storm) howitzers in the village of Qunduriyah, some 79 kilometers (49 miles) from the city of Aleppo, the regional capital.

The statement added that since the start of the operation on Aug. 24, a total of 271 terrorist targets were hit 1,195 times by Turkish forces.

"The Turkish Armed Forces take all necessary measures to prevent harming civilians in the region and shows high sensitivity on this issue," the statement said.

Operation Euphrates Shield aims at improving security, supporting coalition forces, and eliminating the terror threat along Turkey’s border through FSA fighters backed by Turkish armor, artillery, and jets.