US, Turkey, Turkmen begin joint anti-Daesh ops in Syria

ANKARA

Turkey and the U.S., supported by local Turkmen forces, have begun staging ground assaults and airstrikes against positions held by Daesh terrorist group near the Syrian-Turkish border.

Between 12pm and 5pm local time Saturday, U.S.-led coalition forces -- supported by Turkmen opposition groups on the ground -- carried out joint air operations against Daesh targets, according to Turkish security sources.

Six Turkish F-16 jets carrying precision-guided munitions took off from Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey and carried out eight airstrikes, while an unmanned aerial drone -- launched by U.S.-led coalition forces -- carried out a single airstrike.

The airstrikes targeted eight Daesh positions in the villages of Harjalah and Delha in Syria’s northern Aleppo province, just across the border from Turkey’s southeastern Kilis province.

Another Daesh position was targeted on the Harjalah-Khirba road.

The assaults were supported on the ground by the Sultan Murad Division of the Syrian Turkmen Brigades, along with fighters from the Damascus Front opposition group.

The operations left more than 50 Daesh militants dead and 30 injured, according to the security sources.

The same source noted that clashes between Daesh fighters and opposition forces were still underway in the two villages.