Turkey ‘neutralizes’ 23 Daesh terrorists in N.Syria

By Sertac Bulur

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish fighter jets hit 206 Daesh targets in northern Syria, neutralizing 23 terrorists, the Turkish General Staff said Thursday.

Turkish Armed Forces have been supporting Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters under the Operation Euphrates Shield, which launched last August to rid the area of terrorist groups and ensure peace and safety in the region.

Turkish authorities use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply the terrorists in question were killed, captured, or surrounded.

The statement said that Turkish jets hit 19 buildings used by Daesh terrorists and three bomb-laden vehicles.

The latest air raid also destroyed Daesh positions shelters, arms depots, command and control facilities, weapons, vehicles, and assault positions near the Al-Bab, Bazagah, Tadif, and Kabr Al Mukri areas.

The statement added that since the beginning of the operation, 3,209 handmade explosives and 55 mines were neutralized under controlled conditions.

As of day 156 of the operation, a total of 227 residential areas and 1,875 square kilometers (724 square miles) of land have been secured along northern Syria’s Azaz to Jarabulus corridor running parallel to the Turkish frontier, the statement said.