At least 24 civilians have been killed in bombings led by Turkish troops in the Syrian town of Al Bab, which is held by the Islamic State group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said. However, the Turkish Army has held that only terrorists were targeted in the attack, AFP reported on Thursday.
The Turkish Army had said that at least 43 Islamic State fighters were “neutralised” during the operation, reported Al Jazeera. However, the United Kingdom-based monitor said that at least 11 children were killed in the bombardment that lasted for around 24 hours over the weekend.
A joint team of Turkish forces and Syrian rebels launched the attack on February 11. On Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the town had “largely been taken under control”. “Turkish forces and allied rebels in the Euphrates Shield campaign entered the western edge of the town and took control of a number of areas,” said the Syrian Observatory.
The Turkish forces started their assault against the Islamic State group and Kurdish fighters in August. At least 3,10,000 people have been killed in Syria since March 2011, reported the news agency. Almost half of the population has been displaced since the war started.
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