Turkish Forces Attack Daesh Targets in Syria's Aleppo

Turkish forces have launched artillery fire against Daesh targets in the north of Syria’s Aleppo province, Turkish media report.

ANKARA (Sputnik) – The attacks were carried out using T-155 Firtina (Storm) howitzers, military sources told Turkey’s state Anadolu Agency on Friday.

Turkey has also been shelling the positions of Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria since February to stop Kurds from seizing ground in the area. Ankara considers the YPG to be an ally of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a separatist movement fighting for Kurdish self-determination in southeastern Turkey.

On Friday, the Russian military said that Ankara is fully responsible for continuation of hostilities in Syria's Aleppo and Idlib provinces as Turkey ensures steady supply of weapons to terrorists and keeps shelling groups of Kurdish militia fighting against Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front) radicals.

Syrian Kurds in the northern provinces on the border with Turkey have also been accusing Ankara of keeping the border open for militant groups and supplying them with weapons.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting against numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, including Daesh and Nusra Front, outlawed in a number of countries worldwide including Russia.

A US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force last Saturday across Syria. It was supported by the Syrian government and dozens of opposition groups on the ground. Daesh and Nusra Front are not part of the deal.