News / Syria

Turkish air raids kill 47 civilians in Syria’s al-Bab: Monitoring group

Thursday, 22 December 2016 6:50 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 22 December 2016 6:50 PM ]

File photo shows two Turkish fighter jets.

Turkish jets have reportedly conducted fresh airstrikes on Syria’s northwestern city of al-Bab, leaving at least 47 civilians dead in yet another act of aggression against the Arab country.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 14 children and nine women were among the fatalities of Thursday’s aerial assaults.

Turkish warplanes regularly carry out airstrikes in support of their ground incursion into Syria.

Similar Turkish air raids had killed seven civilians in al-Bab on Wednesday.

On the same day, 14 Turkish forces were also said to have been killed around the Syrian city, in the country's biggest loss so far in its military campaign in Syria.

Meanwhile, Turkey-backed Takfiri militants established full control over the highway linking al-Bab to Aleppo following intense clashes with Daesh terrorists.

This picture taken from near the Turkish town of Karkamis on August 25, 2016 shows Turkish army tanks driving to the Syrian border town of Jarablus. (Photo by AFP)

Back in August, Turkish special forces, tanks and jets, backed by planes from the US-led coalition, launched their first coordinated offensive in Syria. Damascus denounced the intervention as a breach of its sovereignty.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the operation, dubbed "Euphrates Shield," was aimed at “terror groups” such as Daesh and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a US-backed Kurdish group based in Syria.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk