Turkish and US-led coalition fighter jets have carried out bombing raids against ISIL positions near Syria's al-Bab, a town held by ISIL and besieged by Turkey-backed Syrian rebels for almost two months, according to a Turkish military statement.

A total of 47 ISIL (also known as ISIS) fighters were "neutralised" in clashes and air raids in the past 24 hours, the statement said, adding that buildings, defence posts, shelters and an ammunition depot were destroyed in raids.

The Turkish army also hit 135 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant targets in northern Syria, the General Staff said in a statement.

Turkish jets destroyed 64 targets, including 45 buildings, three bomb-laden vehicles and five headquarters used by the armed groups in the region around al-Bab, according to the statement.

There was no immediate response from ISIL.

Turkey first sent tanks across the border on August 24 as part of the operation Euphrates Shield. Four days later, the Turkish army suffered its first fatality in northern Syria, in a rocket attack blamed on Kurdish militias.

The city is in a strategic area, close to the Turkish border in northern Syria en route to Raqqa and Idlib. Al-Bab is one of the few remaining strongholds of ISIL.

If it takes Al-Bab, the Turkish military says its next objective is to clear the whole area and retake the town of Manbij from the SDF, a largely Kurdish militia.

More than 215 residential areas, including Jarablus city in northern Syria, have been cleared of ISIL as part of the Euphrates Shield operation so far, according to the Turkish military.</s>AL-BAB, SYRIA: Turkish and US-led coalition fighter jets have carried out bombing raids against ISIL positions near Syria’s al-Bab, a town held by ISIL and besieged by Turkey-backed Syrian rebels for almost two months, according to a Turkish military statement.

 A total of 47 ISIL (also known as ISIS) fighters were “neutralised” in clashes and air raids in the past 24 hours, the statement said, adding that buildings, defence posts, shelters and an ammunition depot were destroyed in raids.

 The Turkish army also hit 135 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant targets in northern Syria, the General Staff said in a statement.Agencies</s>The Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have captured 24 residential areas from the Daesh terrorist group over the past 24 hours in Syria's northern town of al-Bab as part of Operation Euphrates Shield, Turkish security sources said Friday.

The sources, who spoke with Anadolu Agency (AA) on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said Turkish troops and FSA fighters had besieged the Daesh-held town and were now on the verge of decisively capturing it.

Its recent push on al-Bab has brought the Turkish army some 35 kilometers (roughly 21.5 miles) inside Syrian territory.

The same sources said the FSA - backed by Turkish troops - had intercepted Syrian regime forces about 6 kilometers south of al-Bab, adding that Turkish/FSA fighters now stood 1 kilometer west of the town center.

Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield was launched last summer with the aim of securing Turkey's southern border, eliminating terrorist elements in northern Syria and supporting Syrian opposition forces. One aspect of the operation involves providing the FSA with Turkish artillery support and air cover. Since it began last August, more than 1,300 Daesh terrorists have reportedly been killed in the operation.

Meanwhile, Turkish airstrikes and artillery shells killed 47 Daesh terrorists as part of the operation to liberate the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, the military said on Friday. A total of 135 identified targets were shelled by the Turkish military, destroying some defense positions and command centers used by Daesh terrorists.

Turkish warplanes also hit 64 Daesh targets in the regions of al-Bab and Bzagah, destroying 45 buildings used as shelters, five headquarters, three bomb-laden vehicles, two armed vehicles, two artillery, one mortar and one arsenal belonging to the terrorist organization. In addition, Coalition Air Forces conducted a total of eight airstrikes to identified Daesh targets in the regions of al-Bab and Bzagah, destroying two defense positions, one command center and one drone.

Some 41 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were destroyed by explosive ordnance teams over the span of 24 hours, adding up to a total of 3,632 since the beginning of the operation, while 55 mines were detonated.

The Turkish military continues to take all the necessary measures to ensure the safety of civilians in the area, the statement added.

Ankara has already vowed that Operation Euphrates Shield will continue in Manbij and Afrin, which are both held by the PKK-affiliated Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG), after al-Bab is liberated.</s>ISTANBUL: The Turkish military said on Friday its warplanes and jets from the U.S.-led coalition have carried out air strikes near Syria's al-Bab, a town held by Islamic State and besieged by Turkey-backed Syrian rebels for almost two months.

A total of 47 Islamic State militants were "neutralised" in clashes and air strikes in the past 24 hours, the military said in a statement, adding that buildings, defence posts, shelters and an ammunition depot were destroyed in raids.</s>U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Attack, bomber and fighter aircraft conducted 31 strikes in 40 engagements in Syria:
• Near Abu Kamal, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle and an oil inlet manifold.
• Near Bab, four strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units; destroyed two fighting positions; and damaged a command-and-control node.
• Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes destroyed three oil wellheads and two oil tanker trucks.
• Near Raqqa, 21 strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units; destroyed 53 oil barrels, 39 oil storage tanks, four oil wellheads, four tunnel entrances, two tunnels, two vehicles, two unmanned aerial vehicles, a fighting position and a tank; and damaged eight supply routes.

Bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 10 strikes in 24 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
• Near Kirkuk, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a supply cache and an ISIL-held building.
• Near Kisik, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two vehicles, a supply cache, a fighting position and a tunnel.
• Near Mosul, four strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units; destroyed an artillery system, a checkpoint and a bunker; and damaged three supply routes.
• Near Rawah, a strike destroyed two fuel storage tanks and a vehicle bomb facility.
• Near Tal Afar, two strikes destroyed a vehicle, a tactical vehicle and a vehicle bomb.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group’s ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.</s>Turkey hit 59 Islamic State targets and killed 51 militants in northern Syria as part of its ongoing incursion, the Turkish military said on Saturday.

Turkish forces have surrounded the ISIS-controlled town of al-Bab for weeks as part of an operation that has been going on for more than five months.

Four of those killed were so-called emirs, or local commanders, the Turkish military said, adding that its jets destroyed 56 buildings and three command control centers in the al-Bab and Bzagah regions.

Coalition forces also conducted eight airstrikes in the al-Bab region, destroying two defense positions and two armed vehicles.</s>Fifty-one Daesh terrorists have been killed by Turkish airstrikes and shelling in Syria's al-Bab, on the 163rd day of Operation Euphrates Shield, the military said on Thursday.

244 positions belonging to Daesh terrorists have been shelled, while 85 targets have been hit in airstrikes, destroying 83 buildings, 10 bomb-laden vehicles, two ammunition depots and two mortars.

Meanwhile, 41 improvised explosive devices have been detonated by explosive ordnance disposal teams, adding to a total of 3,591 since the beginning of the operation.

The Turkish military continues to take all the necessary measures to ensure the safety of civilians in the area, the statement added.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is supporting Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters in liberating al-Bab, a strategic city for Daesh, from the terrorist group.

The military action is part of the Turkish-led Operation Euphrates Shield, which began in late August to improve security, support coalition forces, and eliminate the terror threat along Turkey's border using FSA fighters backed by Turkish artillery and jets.</s>A total of 51 Daesh terrorists were killed in the last 24 hours as part of Turkey-backed Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria, the military announced Saturday.

Turkish General Staff said in a statement that four of the killed terrorists were also so-called "regional heads" of the Daesh terrorist group in the Al-Bab and Bzagah regions.

On the 165th day of the operation, international coalition forces conducted eight airstrikes on Daesh targets in Al-Bab and destroyed two defensive positions and two armed vehicles.

Turkish fighter jets also hit 65 Daesh targets and destroyed 56 buildings and three headquarters, the statement added.

The statement also said 55 mines and 3,656 improvised explosives had been defused since the start of the operation on Aug. 24.

Operation Euphrates Shield began in late August 2016, to tighten border security, eliminate terror threats along Turkish border and support opposition forces in Syria. The Free Syrian Army (FSA) is backed by Turkish forces as part of the operation.

FSA fighters have been concentrating on taking the Daesh-held town of Al-Bab, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Aleppo.</s>Turkish airstrikes and shelling have killed 47 Daesh terrorists as part of the operation to liberate the northern Syrian town of al-Bab from terrorists, the military said on Wednesday.

A total of 135 identified targets were shelled by the Turkish military, destroying some defense positions and command centers used by Daesh terrorists.

Turkish warplanes also hit 64 Daesh targets in the regions of Bab and Bzagah, destroying 45 buildings used as shelters, five headquarters, three bomb-laden vehicles, two armed vehicles, two artillery, one mortar and one arsenal belonging to the terrorist organization.

Meanwhile, Coalition Air Forces conducted a total of eight airstrikes to identified Daesh targets in the regions of Bab and Bzagah, destroying two defense positions, one command center and one Drone.

Some 41 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were destroyed by explosive ordnance teams over the span of 24 hours, adding up to a total of 3,632 since the beginning of the operation, while 55 mines were detonated.

The Turkish military continues to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of civilians in the area, the statement added.

The Turkish army is supporting FSA fighters in liberating al-Bab, a strategic city for Daesh, from the terrorist group. Friday marks the 164th day since the city was surrounded in order to liberate it.

The military action is part of the Turkish-led Operation Euphrates Shield, which began in late August to improve security, support coalition forces, and eliminate the terror threat along Turkey's border using FSA fighters backed by Turkish artillery and jets.

Ankara has already vowed that Operation Euphrates Shield will continue in Manbij and Afrin, which are both held by the PKK's Syrian offshoot, the People's Protection Units (YPG), after al-Bab is liberated.</s>U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported yesterday.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Attack, bomber and fighter aircraft conducted 11 strikes in 16 engagements in Syria:
• Near Abu Kamal, five strikes destroyed six oil wellheads, five front-end loaders, a bulldozer and an oil tanker.
• Near Ayn Isa, three strikes damaged three supply routes.
• Near Raqqa, three strikes destroyed 20 oil barrels, three tunnels, an oil inlet manifold and an oil storage tank.

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted five strikes in 11 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
• Huwayjah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position and a supply cache.
• Near Kirkuk, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position, a supply cache and an observation post.
• Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and damaged a tunnel.
• Near Rutbah, two strikes destroyed three vehicles and a vehicle bomb.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group’s ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
At least 47 ISIL militants have been killed by Turkish and U.S.-led bombing raids by fighter jets on the town of al-Bab in the last 24 hours, with the Turkish Armed Forces attacking 135 other ISIL targets in northern Syria.