60 Daesh targets destroyed in northern Syria

By Sinan Uslu

ANKARA (AA) – Sixty detected Daesh targets in northern Syria have been destroyed with 171 rounds of Firtina [storm] howitzer fire, the Turkish military said Tuesday.

As part of operation Euphrates Shield, coalition forces carried out three air strikes against detected Daesh members in the Bahvurtah region, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement.

The Army said four Daesh members were “neutralized” and two building and two mortars were destroyed.

Operation Euphrates Shield began last month and saw the Free Syrian Army, backed by Turkish Armed Forces, take the city of Jarabulus from Daesh.

A total area of 900 square kilometers (347 miles) has been cleansed of terrorists in northern Syria, according to the Turkish Army.

Turkey has said Operation Euphrates Shield is aimed at bolstering border security, supporting coalition forces and eliminating the threat posed by terror organizations, especially Daesh.

The operation is in line with the country’s right to self-defense borne out of international treaties and a mandate given to Turkey’s armed forces by parliament in 2014, which was extended for another year in September 2015.