ALEPPO, Syria

Armored vehicles of Turkish Armed Forces entered the Syrian town of Cobanbey in the northwestern Aleppo province as part of Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield to clear Daesh out from its border region, said military sources Saturday.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said the Free Syrian Army, which the Turkish army has recently been supporting, managed to take control of the town of Cobanbey, located near the Turkish border in Aleppo.

The town, which shares a border with the city of Azaz controlled by opposition forces, has frequently changed hands between the Free Syrian Army and Daesh.

Operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched on August 24, aims at improving security, supporting coalition forces, and eliminating the terror threat along Turkey’s border through FSA fighters backed by Turkish armor, artillery, and jets.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the regime of Bashar al-Assad cracked down on pro-democracy protests.

*Reporting By By Sarp Ozer and Halit Suleyman; Writing By Sibel Ugurlu