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Turkey sending 300 troops to reinforce Syria operation

Türkiye Materials 9 December 2016 02:20 (UTC +04:00)
Turkey is sending 300 more troops to northern Syria to reinforce an operation aimed at pushing Islamic State fighters away from its southern border
Turkey sending 300 troops to reinforce Syria operation

Turkey is sending 300 more troops to northern Syria to reinforce an operation aimed at pushing Islamic State fighters away from its southern border, Reuters reported.

Some 300 commandos are being sent to reinforce the "Euphrates Shield" operation, Anadolu Agency reported. It was not clear where in northern Syria they would be deployed and Reuters was not immediately able to reach the military for comment.

Turkey launched the operation in August, sending tanks, airplanes and troops to back Syrian Arab and Turkmen rebels.

After pushing Islamic State fighters back from Turkey's Syrian border, the Ankara-backed rebels have moved towards al-Bab, the last urban stronghold of Islamic State in the northern Aleppo countryside. Their advance potentially pits them against both Kurdish fighters and Syrian government forces.

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