'28 Daesh terrorists' killed in northern Syria

ANKARA

At least 28 Daesh terrorists were killed in northern Syria in the last 24 hours by Turkish forces and the U.S.-led coalition, according to a Turkish General Staff statement Sunday.

Turkish army forces killed at least 12 Daesh terrorists as part of the ongoing Operation Euphrates Shield which on Sunday marks the 180th day.

Meanwhile, 16 other Daesh terrorists were killed by airstrikes carried out by a U.S.-led coalition in northern Syria, the statement added.

The statement said 41 Daesh targets, including shelters, had been hit by Turkish Land Forces while 11 others were struck by the U.S.-led coalition.

In addition, Turkish fighter jets destroyed nine targets, including a building used as a hideout and two vehicles.

The jets also killed eight terrorists in Avasin-Basyan and Zap areas of northern Iraq in strikes on the PKK terror group, Turkish military said in another statement.

The Turkish-led Operation Euphrates Shield began in late August to improve security, support coalition forces, and eliminate the terror threat along the Turkish border using Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish artillery and jets.

Last October, the Iraqi army, backed by the coalition and local allies on the ground, began a wide-ranging campaign to retake Mosul, which Daesh overran in mid-2014.

*Reporting by Sarp Ozer; Writing by Hatice Kesgin, Fatih Hafiz Mehmet