51 ISIL militants ‘neutralized’ in northern Syria: Turkish military

ANKARA

A total of 51 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants have been killed, wounded or captured over the last 24 hours in northern Syria, the Turkish military stated on Feb. 2.      

The General Staff statement did not give a precise location for where the militants were “neutralized,” but Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish forces have been concentrating on taking the ISIL-held town of al-Bab, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Aleppo.      

As part of the Euphrates Shield operation, the Turkish army hit 244 ISIL targets, including command facilities, defensive placements, shelters, vehicles and weapons over the past 24 hours.      

Turkish jets also hit 85 targets, including 10 bomb-laden vehicles, in al-Bab and the surrounding area over the same period.