Turkey strikes ISIL targets in Jarablus

24/08/2016| IslamWeb

Turkish fighter jets have struck ISIL targets in the Syrian border town of Jarablus, according to Turkish news media.

Turkey's CNN Turk television said the operation involved artillery and rocket shelling as well as warplanes.

It also said Turkish ground forces were waiting for a possible ground operation at the border.

Security sources quoted by the Turkish television said a small contingent of special forces travelled a few kilometers into Syria to secure the area before a possible operation.

Footage from CNN Turk broadcasting live from the Turkish border town of Karkamis showed white plumes of smoke coming from atop hills from Jarablus across the border.

Turkey had vowed on Monday to "completely cleanse" ISIL fighters from its border region after a suicide bomber suspected of links to the group killed 54 people at a Kurdish wedding in southeastern city of Gaziantep.

Turkey is also concerned about the growing influence of Syrian Kurdish groups along its border, where they have captured large areas of territory since the start of the Syrian war in 2011.

Ankara sees them as tied to the Kurdish fighters waging a war against Turkey.

PHOTO CAPTION

A Turkish soldier stands guard at the Turkish-Syrian border in Karkamis, bordering the town of Jarablus, in Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 1, 2015. REUTERS

Al-Jazeera