UPDATE 4 - Turkish soldiers martyred in Syrian regime attack

ADDS REMARKS FROM TURKISH MILITARY

By Sarp Ozer

ANKARA (AA) – Three Turkish soldiers were martyred and 10 others wounded Thursday in an air attack carried out by Syrian regime forces, according to the Turkish military.

Starting at around 3.30 a.m. local time (0030GMT), Syrian regime forces conducted the attacks on Turkish troops near Al-Bab in northern Syria, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement.

The casulaties were taken to hospitals in Turkey’s southern Kilis and Gaziantep provinces.

One soldier is in a critical condition.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was briefed on the attack by Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar and Defense Minister Fikri Isik.

Yildirim later said Turkey would continue its fight at all costs.

“These attacks, wherever come from, will never ever reduce our army's commitment to Turkey’s fight against terrorism,” he said.

“It is obvious that someone is not satisfied with Turkey’s fight against Daesh .... However, they [attackers] will get what they deserve,” he added.

Turkish opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli released a statement on his official Twitter account that condemned the attack.

“Terrorist organizations that threaten our nation and our country should be found and should be destroyed wherever they are. There is no escape,” Bahceli said.

Turkish Armed Forces, meanwhile, said at least 14 Daesh targets were destroyed Thursday as part of Operation Euphrates Shield launched by Turkey in late August to rid the northern Syrian border area of terrorists.

Targets were located in the towns of Qabasin, Bzaa, Arima plus Al-Bab.

In a separate statement late Thursday, the army rejected the claims of a third airstrike by the Syrian regime on Turkish troops in north Syria.

"The news asserts that the Syrian regime carried out an airstrike on the region of Al-Bab is also unreal," the army said.

It said that the military continued to hit Daesh targets in the region.

More than 215 residential areas, including more than 1,800 square kilometers (694 square miles) of land in northern Syria have so far been cleared of Daesh terrorists as part of the operation now in its 93rd day.