Turkish Army Destroys 46 Daesh, Kurdish Forces' Positions in Northern Syria

ANKARA (Sputnik) — Turkish forces have destroyed 46 Daesh and Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) positions in the past 24 hours as part of the Euphrates Shield operation in northern Syria, the Turkish General Staff said Friday.

“Our Armed Forces have hit 40 Daesh positions using Firtina howitzers, multiple rocket launchers, tanks and mortars and 6 positions of the Kurdish PYD. During the operation against Daesh, three soldiers of the Free Syrian Army were killed and eleven injured, there were no casualties among the Turkish servicemen," the Turkish military said.

Overall, a total of 156 settlements in northern Syria have been liberated from Daesh terrorists since the beginning of the operation in late August, the General Staff added.

On August 24, Turkish forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, began a military operation dubbed Euphrates Shield to clear the Syrian border town of Jarablus and the surrounding area of Daesh, outlawed in Russia and many other countries. As Jarablus was retaken, the joint forces of Ankara, the coalition and Syrian rebels continued the offensive southwest.

Ankara considers PYD, and its military wing YPG (People's Protection Units) operating in Syria an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is outlawed in Turkey.