ISTANBUL: The Turkish Army said it killed 12 Daesh militants Sunday near Al-Bab, though it was not possible to independently verify the claim.
A Britain-based monitoring group meanwhile said on Friday that at least 88 civilians had been killed in 24 hours of Turkish airstrikes on Al-Bab, including 21 children.
Syrian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said “Al-Bab is nearly finished,” and reiterated a previous vow that Turkish forces would head next to the town of Manbij, a former bastion of Daesh that is now under the control of US-backed, Kurdish-led militia.
Ankara views Syria’s Kurdish forces — which have played a lead role in the battle against Daesh — as “terrorists” linked to a 30-year Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.
It has vowed not to take part in any international offensive to reclaim Raqqa, Daesh’s main bastion in northern Syria, should Kurdish fighters take part.
Erdogan will discuss the issue with the incoming US administration after President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated in January, Erdogan said.
Also on Sunday, Turkey deployed more tanks and artillery to the border with war-torn Syria, where Ankara is pressing a campaign to capture a Daesh bastion, reports said.
Several tanks, military transport vehicles and at least 10 artillery units including cannons were sent to Oguzeli and Karkamis in southeastern Turkey, state news agency Anadolu reported.
The latest deployment came as Turkish forces tightened their grip around the Daesh bastion of Al-Bab in northern Syria, as Ankara-backed Syrian fighters and Turkish troops pressed a fierce assault to capture the town.
Sixteen Turkish soldiers were killed by Daesh in the battle for the flashpoint town Wednesday — Ankara’s biggest loss so far since it launched its incursion into Syria in August.
Meanwhile, Turkish Interor Ministry said Ankara is investigating 10,000 people suspected of terror-related activity on the Internet or posting comments on social media insulting government officials.
The inquiries are part of the “fight against terrorism, which continues with determination everywhere, including on social networks,” the ministry said in a statement.
After a coup attempt in July, Turkey declared a state of emergency and launched deep purges of perceived opponents, sparking concern among human rights groups which accuse Ankara of repression.
More than 1,600 people accused of “propaganda or apologizing for terrorism” or “insulting state officials” have been arrested in the past six months, according to the ministry.
Turkish authorities are often accused of restricting access to social networks after serious incidents, such as attacks, to stop the circulation of information that could “undermine state security.”
Access was severely disrupted after the assassination on Monday of Andrei Karlov, Russia’s ambassador to Turkey.
And Twitter and YouTube have slowed since the publication on Thursday of a video in which Daesh purportedly burned alive two captured Turkish soldiers.
An internet monitoring body, Turkey Blocks, also reported difficulties accessing virtual private networks which are routinely used to circumvent restrictions on access to social networks or websites.
A Britain-based monitoring group meanwhile said on Friday that at least 88 civilians had been killed in 24 hours of Turkish airstrikes on Al-Bab, including 21 children.
Syrian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said “Al-Bab is nearly finished,” and reiterated a previous vow that Turkish forces would head next to the town of Manbij, a former bastion of Daesh that is now under the control of US-backed, Kurdish-led militia.
Ankara views Syria’s Kurdish forces — which have played a lead role in the battle against Daesh — as “terrorists” linked to a 30-year Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.
It has vowed not to take part in any international offensive to reclaim Raqqa, Daesh’s main bastion in northern Syria, should Kurdish fighters take part.
Erdogan will discuss the issue with the incoming US administration after President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated in January, Erdogan said.
Also on Sunday, Turkey deployed more tanks and artillery to the border with war-torn Syria, where Ankara is pressing a campaign to capture a Daesh bastion, reports said.
Several tanks, military transport vehicles and at least 10 artillery units including cannons were sent to Oguzeli and Karkamis in southeastern Turkey, state news agency Anadolu reported.
The latest deployment came as Turkish forces tightened their grip around the Daesh bastion of Al-Bab in northern Syria, as Ankara-backed Syrian fighters and Turkish troops pressed a fierce assault to capture the town.
Sixteen Turkish soldiers were killed by Daesh in the battle for the flashpoint town Wednesday — Ankara’s biggest loss so far since it launched its incursion into Syria in August.
Meanwhile, Turkish Interor Ministry said Ankara is investigating 10,000 people suspected of terror-related activity on the Internet or posting comments on social media insulting government officials.
The inquiries are part of the “fight against terrorism, which continues with determination everywhere, including on social networks,” the ministry said in a statement.
After a coup attempt in July, Turkey declared a state of emergency and launched deep purges of perceived opponents, sparking concern among human rights groups which accuse Ankara of repression.
More than 1,600 people accused of “propaganda or apologizing for terrorism” or “insulting state officials” have been arrested in the past six months, according to the ministry.
Turkish authorities are often accused of restricting access to social networks after serious incidents, such as attacks, to stop the circulation of information that could “undermine state security.”
Access was severely disrupted after the assassination on Monday of Andrei Karlov, Russia’s ambassador to Turkey.
And Twitter and YouTube have slowed since the publication on Thursday of a video in which Daesh purportedly burned alive two captured Turkish soldiers.
An internet monitoring body, Turkey Blocks, also reported difficulties accessing virtual private networks which are routinely used to circumvent restrictions on access to social networks or websites.
