Turkish airstrike neutralizes 44 Daesh terrorists in Syria

The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) has said that 44 Daesh terrorists were neutralized, with 33 terrorist targets destroyed in al-Bab of Syria on the 173rd day of Operation Euphrates Shield.

Operation Euphrates Shield, led by Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces backed by Turkish artillery and jets, was launched on August 24, 2016, to eliminate the terror threat along the Turkish border and improve security.

The operation has focused on the Daesh-held town of al-Bab since early December. FSA fighters supported by Turkish forces have reached the town's western and northern outskirts, according to a statement by the Turkish military.

A total of 2,705 Daesh fighters and 344 PKK/PYD terrorists were “neutralized" since the beginning of the operation, the Turkish General Staff said in a weekly briefing note.

The military said 229 residential areas and 1,910 square kilometers (725 square miles) of land had been secured along northern Syria's Azaz to Jarablus corridor that runs parallel to the Turkish frontier.