Bombings Kill 14 Soldiers in Turkey’s Deadliest Day in Syria

EghtesadOnline: Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels besieged the Islamic State stronghold of Al-Bab in northern Syria after three separate suicide bombings left Turkey reeling from its bloodiest day on the Syrian front.

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22 December 2016

According to Bloomberg, at least 14 Turkish soldiers were killed and 33 wounded Wednesday in the suicide attacks, the military said, bringing the overall death toll to 35 since Turkey launched a ground offensive in Syria against Islamic State and hostile Kurdish groups in August. The military said a record 138 Islamic State militants were also killed on Wednesday, a figure that couldn’t be independently verified. Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik was scheduled to brief the parliament about the clashes on Thursday, his office said.

“Right now, Al-Bab has been fully besieged by the Free Syrian Army and our soldiers,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised media conference Wednesday. “The road between Al-Bab and Aleppo is fully under the control of FSA and Turkish troops,” he added, expressing hope that Turkish-backed Syrian rebels can soon capture Al-Bab, which lies about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the border.

Clashes between Turkish troops and Islamic State heated up as Turkish forces stepped up an offensive on the town following the fall earlier this month of the city of Aleppo by Russian-backed forces fighting on behalf of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

While Russia and Turkey have been on opposite sides of the Syrian conflict, the two nations have increasingly found common ground. After Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was shot dead Monday in Ankara by an off-duty policeman who invoked the brutal battle of Aleppo, Russian and Turkish officials said their improving relationship won’t be derailed by the assassination.

People picked up during the investigation for alleged links to the gunman were all supporters of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, the alleged mastermind of a failed coup attempt in July, Erdogan said on Wednesday without providing evidence. Gulen has denied involvement in the botched takeover.