ANKARA (Sputnik) — On August 24, the Turkish army launched Operation Euphrates Shield against militants of the Daesh terror group, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries. Turkish forces, with assistance from Syrian opposition fighters, occupied the city of Jarabulus in northern Syria and are currently conducting its offensive on al-Bab. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the aim of the operation is to clear the region from terrorists and make it a safety zone for refugees.
The operation has been widely criticized both by the Syrian Kurds and Damascus, who have accused Ankara of violating Syria's territorial integrity.
"Our Air Force destroyed 14 IS [Daesh] targets during airstrikes near the Al Bab and Bza'a towns, including seven shelters, six terrorist headquarters and a vehicle equipped with weapons. A total of 65 IS militants were killed," a statement of the General Staff received by RIA Novosti said.
According to the General Staff, the US-led anti-terrorist coalition carried out three air operations in nearby districts and destroyed a number of vehicles, a tank and an Daesh mortar position.
