07 October 2016•Update: 07 October 2016
ANKARA
The Turkish army hit at least 49 Daesh targets in northern Syria early Friday as part of the ongoing Operation Euphrates Shield, military said.
In a statement, the Turkish Armed Forces said 49 Daesh targets had been hit with 153 Firtina (storm) howitzer fire and 116 rounds of multiple rocket launchers.
A total of 119 residential areas in nearly 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of northern Syria have been cleared of Daesh since the beginning of the operation, the statement said.
More than 1,990 targets have been destroyed by over 7,701 rounds fired by Turkish Firtina howitzers so far.
During the operation, nine opposition soldiers have been killed while 32 others were injured. There were no casualties in the Turkish army, the military said.
In addition, Turkish jets have destroyed 18 targets in an air operation in the region.
An undisclosed number of terrorists were killed, while 15 buildings used by Daesh were destroyed in the operation, the statement added.
Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched on Aug. 24, is aimed at bolstering border security, supporting coalition forces, and eliminating the threat posed by terrorist 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.
Reporting by Yildiz Aktas : Writing by Buru Arik
