Turkey: 38 ISIS Fighters Killed in Strikes Around Syria

Airstrikes Targeted 28 Different ISIS Targets, Mostly Around al-Bab

The latest Turkish military statement on military operations in Syria claims warplanes launched 28 airstrikes against ISIS targets around the country, with most of them believed to be around the contested city of al-Bab, in the Aleppo Province.

Turkey claimed 38 ISIS fighters were killed in the strikes, which targeted not just vehicles, but ISIS shelters and command centers around the area. Al-Bab is the last ISIS city in Aleppo Province, though they also control considerable territory further east in Syria.

Turkey invaded northern Syria last year at the city of Jarabulus, and has been systematically targeting ISIS territory across Aleppo, with al-Bab the final target there. Once the city falls, Turkish officials say they intend to advance on Manbij, which ISIS already lost to Kurdish forces.

Turkish officials have also expressed an interest in contesting ISIS territory around the Raqqa Province, which includes ISIS’ capital city of Raqqa. The Turkish government’s goal is to install allied rebels in the territory around the countries’ mutual borders.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.