Airstrikes destroy 5 Daesh targets in northern Syria

ANKARA

Five Daesh targets in northern Syria were destroyed Thursday as part of Operation Euphrates Shield, the Turkish army said.

The Turkish Air Forces carried out airstrikes against Daesh targets in the Suvayrin, Al Athariyah, and Tall Ar regions and destroyed five buildings used as command posts and weapon stations, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement.

Under the operation, coalition forces also neutralized 40 Daesh terrorists through 20 airstrikes in the Bahvurtah, Tall Ar, Kadris, Al Athariyah, Caqqa and Idalat regions.

A total of 1,077 detected targets have been hit since the beginning of Operation Euphrates Shield, the statement added.

Operation Euphrates Shield began last month and saw Free Syrian Army fighters, backed by the Turkish military, take control of Jarabulus from Daesh.

Turkey has said the operation aims to bolster border security, support coalition forces, and eliminate the threat posed by terror organizations, especially Daesh.

The operation is in line with the country’s right to self-defense borne out of international treaties and a mandate given to Turkey’s armed forces by its parliament in 2014, which was extended for another year in September 2015.