ANKARA/BEIRUT: Syrian opposition fighters supported by Turkish armed forces have seized control of strategically important hills around the Daesh-controlled town of Al-Bab, Turkey’s military said on Wednesday.
It said in a statement that 58 Daesh militants were killed in airstrikes, artillery fire and clashes. Two Turkish soldiers had been killed and 15 slightly wounded.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the operations had made important progress and the next target would be the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of Daesh.
The battle for Al-Bab has raised the prospect of confrontation between the Turkish military and the Syrian regime’s army, which has pushed to within a few kilometers of the city’s southern outskirts.
A Syrian opposition official and a monitoring organization said the advancing forces had captured the western outskirts of Al-Bab, some 30 km south of the Turkish border.
“With last night’s assault, Daesh’s defenses have been broken through and the advance is now continuing,” said the official, speaking from the Turkish city of Gaziantep. Turkish military reinforcements had been sent to the area about a week ago, the official added.
Al-Bab has been a major target of a Turkish offensive launched in northern Syria last August to drive Daesh away from the border and prevent further gains by US-backed Kurdish militia that are also fighting the terrorist group.
Syrian regime forces and allied militia have mounted their own rapid advance toward Al-Bab in the last few weeks. The city was encircled earlier this week when Syrian regime forces cut the last way into the city.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organization that reports on the war, said the Turkish forces and their Free Syrian Army rebel allies had captured a hill on the western periphery of the city.
“We do not know if Daesh will be able to recover it, or if it is in a state of collapse,” Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said.
In a video sent by the opposition official, three Syrian fighters with the Sultan Murad faction said they were speaking from inside Al-Bab. It was not possible to confirm the authenticity of the footage.
“I am in Al-Bab now but not at the center. We are on the outskirts. Thank God, we have reached this place,” said one of the fighters. Blasts were heard in the background.
The Observatory said at least six people had been killed and 12 more wounded in the latest shelling of Al-Bab.
The organization says Turkish bombardment has killed scores of people since December. Turkey says it has been careful to avoid civilian casualties.
Turkish presidency sources said on Wednesday President Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call overnight to act jointly against Daesh in Al-Bab and Raqqa.
The White House said in a statement that Trump spoke about the two countries’ “shared commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms” and welcomed Turkey’s contributions to the fight against Daesh, but it gave no further details.
It said in a statement that 58 Daesh militants were killed in airstrikes, artillery fire and clashes. Two Turkish soldiers had been killed and 15 slightly wounded.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the operations had made important progress and the next target would be the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of Daesh.
The battle for Al-Bab has raised the prospect of confrontation between the Turkish military and the Syrian regime’s army, which has pushed to within a few kilometers of the city’s southern outskirts.
A Syrian opposition official and a monitoring organization said the advancing forces had captured the western outskirts of Al-Bab, some 30 km south of the Turkish border.
“With last night’s assault, Daesh’s defenses have been broken through and the advance is now continuing,” said the official, speaking from the Turkish city of Gaziantep. Turkish military reinforcements had been sent to the area about a week ago, the official added.
Al-Bab has been a major target of a Turkish offensive launched in northern Syria last August to drive Daesh away from the border and prevent further gains by US-backed Kurdish militia that are also fighting the terrorist group.
Syrian regime forces and allied militia have mounted their own rapid advance toward Al-Bab in the last few weeks. The city was encircled earlier this week when Syrian regime forces cut the last way into the city.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organization that reports on the war, said the Turkish forces and their Free Syrian Army rebel allies had captured a hill on the western periphery of the city.
“We do not know if Daesh will be able to recover it, or if it is in a state of collapse,” Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said.
In a video sent by the opposition official, three Syrian fighters with the Sultan Murad faction said they were speaking from inside Al-Bab. It was not possible to confirm the authenticity of the footage.
“I am in Al-Bab now but not at the center. We are on the outskirts. Thank God, we have reached this place,” said one of the fighters. Blasts were heard in the background.
The Observatory said at least six people had been killed and 12 more wounded in the latest shelling of Al-Bab.
The organization says Turkish bombardment has killed scores of people since December. Turkey says it has been careful to avoid civilian casualties.
Turkish presidency sources said on Wednesday President Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call overnight to act jointly against Daesh in Al-Bab and Raqqa.
The White House said in a statement that Trump spoke about the two countries’ “shared commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms” and welcomed Turkey’s contributions to the fight against Daesh, but it gave no further details.
