Turkey’s president wants to clear militants and YPG fighters from a 5,000-square-kilometer swath of northern Syria. Erdogan says his military’s advance is going well, but observers say Turkish casualties are on the rise. Reports Deutsche Welle.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lauded the advance of Turkish troops into northern Syria in what he called a drive to cleanse a 3,000-square-mile swath of territory of militants and Kurdish fighters.
Turkish troops, in collaboration with Syrian rebels, have entered the “Islamic State” (IS) stronghold of Al-Bab, 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Turkey’s border.
Independent observers said Turkey’s military controlled just 10 percent of the city and much of the suburbs north and west of it. They add that Turkish forces are meeting strong resistance, and that military casualties are on the rise.
One Turkish soldier was killed and three others were wounded in clashes on Sunday, according to the private news agency Dogan, which cited military sources.