Turkey says ISIS cleared from Turkish-Syrian border
Turkey is claiming success in its campaign to eradicate ISIS from its border regions.
The terror group has reportedly lost control of the last strip of its territory along the Syrian-Turkish border, according to sources and Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu.
“The Turkish border with Syria was cleared Sunday of Daesh terrorists,” Anadolu reported.
“The Jarablus-Azaz line is totally under the control of FSA (Free Syrian Army) backed by coalition forces,” a Turkish armed forces member told CNN Sunday.
The border town of Jarablus, which Syrian rebels and Turkish forces recently recaptured from the terror group, is a critical location for supplies, money and fighters coming in and out of ISIS-held areas.
Inside Jarablus: What happens when ISIS loses control of a city
Azaz is another key border city that was formerly held by ISIS.
The developments would be a major setback for ISIS, choking off supply lines for the terror group.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday that the terror group has effectively lost its contact with the outside world, after losing the remaining border villages between the Sajur River in the southern suburbs of Jarablus and Al-Rai.
These Turkish incursions mark a new phase in Operation Euphrates Shield, a campaign launched last month to improve security and clear the Sunni terror group from the border region.
Turkey was pressed into action against ISIS by the surge of suicide attacks in Turkey, as well as the terror group’s use of safe houses and “informal” financial services on Turkish soil.
On Saturday, Turkey sent tanks and armored vehicles into the Syrian border town of Al-Rai, effectively opening a new front in its campaign against ISIS, Turkish state media reported. Al-Rai is about 55 kilometers west of Jarablus.
On Sunday, a dozen other villages near the Turkish border were captured by the Free Syrian Army backed by Turkish military, a Turkish armed forces member told CNN.
The Turkish military said at least 300 ISIS targets have been hit since Operation Euphrates Shield began on August 24.
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