200 IS Fighters Killed in Retaliation for Istanbul Attack
- 8 years ago
Turkey claimed Thursday that it has killed 200 Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for the suicide bomb attack that killed 10 German tourists in Istanbul two days ago.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkish forces hit 500 Islamic State targets with artillery and tank fire along its border with Syria and near a Turkish camp in northern Iraq.
He said the attacks had been carried out within the last 48 hours.
Davutoglu told a conference of Turkish ambassadors in Ankara that if necessary, Turkey would also launch air attacks against the insurgents and maintain a "determined stance" against IS fighters until they leave the border areas; but, Turkey's war planes have not flown in Syrian air space since a Turkish pilot shot down a Russian fighter jet in late November.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkish forces hit 500 Islamic State targets with artillery and tank fire along its border with Syria and near a Turkish camp in northern Iraq.
He said the attacks had been carried out within the last 48 hours.
Davutoglu told a conference of Turkish ambassadors in Ankara that if necessary, Turkey would also launch air attacks against the insurgents and maintain a "determined stance" against IS fighters until they leave the border areas; but, Turkey's war planes have not flown in Syrian air space since a Turkish pilot shot down a Russian fighter jet in late November.