Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 16
By Orkhan Quluzade – Trend:
Turkish Armed Forces resumed military action in Syria by starting the third stage of the ‘Shield of the Euphrates’ operation, Haber 7 newspaper reported Sept. 16.
Earlier, the military actions were suspended in connection with the ceasefire agreement during the Eid al-Adha holiday.
The third stage of the ‘Shield of the Euphrates’ operation is aimed at liberating the city of Al-Bab from the “Islamic State” (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) terrorist group.
The Turkish Armed Forces are hitting the IS positions using howitzers and bombers, supporting ground forces.
As many as 200 servicemen of the Turkish Armed Forces and 2,500 members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) are taking part in the attack on the city.
The operation is also supported by air forces of the anti-IS coalition members.
On Aug. 24 morning, the Turkish Air Force, with the support of the coalition aircraft, launched an operation to liberate the city of Jarabulus from the IS in northern Syria, near Aleppo. The operation was dubbed the ‘Shield of the Euphrates.’
Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed over 500,000 lives.
Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The IS, the YPG and the PYD are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.
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