Turkish forces hit ISIL, PYD targets in northern Syria

ANKARA

AA Photo

The Turkish military said on Oct. 23 that it had hit a total of eight Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and 51 Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) targets in northern Syria as part of the Euphrates Shield operation.

According to a briefing by the military, Turkish Special Forces were also involved in the operation.



It also added that four Turkish warplanes conducted an airstrike in the Burj village in northern Syria on Oct. 22, destroying four buildings used as defensive positions and killing 11 ISIL militants.



Another operation was aimed at the PYD in Marea, a town in northwestern Syria.



The operation saw four Ankara-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters killed and 20 others injured. Three PYD militants were also killed.



Syrian opposition forces have so far captured 1,265 square kilometers from ISIL militants in northern Syria, including 155 residential areas.



Euphrates Shield Operation which began on Aug. 24 backed by the Turkish Armed Forces is aimed at bolstering border security, supporting coalition forces and eliminating the threat posed by terrorist organizations in Syria, particularly ISIL.