Turkey’s military reported that, backed by Syrian rebel forces, they have once again attacked ISIS targets inside of the city of al-Bab, killing at least 18 ISIS fighters and wounded 37 others. They reported four different ISIS targets destroyed in the attacks.
Turkey has been targeting al-Bab, the last major ISIS-held city in Aleppo Province, for weeks now, and so far has struggled, though they have killed a large number of people in the area. Turkish officials have indicated that al-Bab is their last ISIS stop-off before invading Manbij, a Kurdish-held city further to the east, along the Euphrates River.
Turkey has made much of Kurdish forces not being allowed west of the Euphrates River, and Manbij is on the western shore of the river, which has made it a target. That city was also ISIS-held before, though with heavy US backing the Kurds eventually captured the city.
The struggles with taking al-Bab have led Turkey to seek international help, last week urging the US to launch airstrikes against ISIS targets in the city. Russia also joined in, launching strikes yesterday against ISIS forces on the city’s outskirts.
