At least 30 civilians killed in Daesh attack on Syria’s al-Bab: Turkey
Turkey has blamed Daesh for the deaths of scores of civilians in the Syrian town of al-Bab, saying the people were killed as they were seeking to flee the flashpoint city which is encircled by the Turkish army and militants.
The Turkish military said in a statement on Monday that at least 30 civilians had been killed in al-Bab a day earlier after Daesh terrorists mounted an attack to prevent people from fleeing the Syrian town, adding that many civilians had also been wounded during the attack by the Takfiri group.
Turkey is in the middle of a military operation to capture al-Bab from Daesh. Ankara, which started its incursion into Syria in August, claims that it is only supporting the militants in northern Syria in the drive against Daesh. However, reports over the past days have suggested that Turkish troops have been directly involved in the battle in al-Bab.
On Wednesday, 16 Turkish troops were killed in al-Bab, which marked Ankara’s biggest setback since it launched the unauthorized military operation into Syria.
Turkey stands accused of supporting Takfiri militants seeking to topple the Syrian government.
The ongoing assault in al-Bab has inflicted significant casualties on civilians. The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that around 90 civilians, including 21 children, had lost their lives in a matter of 24 hours as Turkey intensified its airstrikes on the town.
Military sources in Turkey insist that they are nearing the end of operation in al-Bab.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that "al-Bab is nearly finished,” saying that the seizure of the town would be a prelude to Turkey’s next operation into Manbij, a town which is currently controlled by US-backed Kurdish militants who captured it in August.
Turkey has vowed to press ahead with its hunt of Kurdish militants in both Iraq and Syria.
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