By Alp Ertunga Karaca and Burcu Calık
ANKARA (AA) – One Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighter was martyred and 18 others were injured during overnight clashes in northern Syria, the Turkish military said in a statement on Friday.
Four PYD/PKK and a Daesh terrorist were killed during the operation which began late on Thursday night and lasted until the early hours of Friday morning.
Turkey-backed FSA special taskforce soldiers gained control of five villages in the Karadag area of Al-Rai district, Friday’s statement read.
The military said although it had taken control of the area, it still had to completely clear the district of mines and explosives.
Turkey also hit 80 Daesh and a PKK/PYD target in northern Syria including shelters, command-and-control centers and vehicles early on Friday, the military added.
Elsewhere, three Turkish soldiers were slightly injured in two separate attacks in Al-Kufayr region, west of Al-Bab.
Friday's strikes were part of Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield launched in late August to clear the northern Syrian border area of terrorists. It is now in its 87th day.
Around 1,760 square kilometers (680 square miles) of land in northern Syria have been cleared of Daesh terrorists as part of Operation Euphrates Shield so far.
The army statement on Friday also said a total of 39 mines and 1,587 improvised explosives had been defused since the start of the operation on Aug. 24.