Turkish army destroys 103 Daesh targets in north Syria

By Merve Yildizalp

ANKARA

A total of 103 detected Daesh targets in northern Syria have been destroyed with 357 rounds of Firtina [storm] howitzer fire and 20 rounds of multiple rocket launchers, Turkish army said on late Wednesday.

A total of 927 detected targets have been destroyed with 3,707 rounds since the beginning of the Operation Euphrates Shield, Turkish army said in a statement.

Syrian opposition forces re-seized Tal-ar district of Cobanbey town of the northwestern Aleppo province at 4.30 p.m. (GMT 1330), which was occupied by Daesh militants early Wednesday, the statement added.

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

A total area of 900 square kilometers (347 miles) of northern Syria had been cleared of terrorists as of Monday this week, the Turkish military has said.

Turkey has said Operation Euphrates Shield aims to bolster 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.

*Emin Avundukluoglu contributed to this story