By Sinan Uslu, Sarp Ozer
ANKARA (AA) – Eighteen Daesh terrorists were ‘neutralized’ in northern Syria over the last 24 hours as part of Operation Euphrates Shield, the Turkish military said early Thursday.
Turkish authorities use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply the terrorists in question were either killed, captured or surrounded.
Turkish Armed Forces also hit 182 Daesh targets, including shelters, defense points, command and control facilities, and vehicles, said a Turkish General Staff statement.
Coalition forces also hit three targets on the 149th day of the operation.
The Turkish army is supporting Free Syrian Army fighters in their fight to liberate Al-Bab from the terrorist group.
The statement said that Russian jets also hit Daesh targets in Al Bab region as part of an agreement with Russia.
On Wednesday, a Russian military commander said that Russian and Turkish air forces have conducted their first joint air operation against the Daesh terrorist group in Syria.
Since the start of the operation, 2,970 handmade explosives and 43 mines have been neutralized under controlled conditions, Turkish military added.
Operation Euphrates Shield began in late August to tighten border security, eliminate the terror threat along Turkish borders, and support opposition forces in Syria. The Free Syrian Army is backed by Turkish artillery and jets as a part of the operation.