2 Turkish Soldiers Killed in Clash With IS Fighters in N. Syria

VOA News

The Turkish military says two of its soldiers have been killed and five wounded in clashes with Islamic State in northern Syria.

The fight took place near the town of al-Rai, on the 14th day of an operation in northern Syria, according to Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News.

The soldiers were reported killed when Islamic State missiles hit two Turkish tanks in the village of Wuquf, Hurriyet says.

It said two members of the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army were also killed, and two others wounded during the operation.

Turkish tanks entered northern Syria on August 24 to start an offensive, codenamed by Turkey “Operation Euphrates Shield,” to target not only Islamic State but also Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

The operation inside Syria started after a suicide bombing on August 20 in the southeastern city of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border, that killed 54 people at a Kurdish wedding celebration. Turkey blamed the attack on IS.