File Photo. Marwan Ibrahim—AFP
Report says this is the first attack Ankara has conducted against I.S. in several weeks.
Turkish armed forces shelled positions of the Islamic State group in Syria in coordination with the U.S.-led international anti-jihadist coalition, local media reported on Monday.
Turkish artillery fired 50 to 60 shells from howitzers positioned in its southern Kilis region against I.S. targets in the north of Syria’s Aleppo province, the private Dogan news agency reported. A fragile ceasefire has taken effect in Syria, but jihadists are excluded from it.
It was the first attack in several weeks since Turkey, a member of the international coalition against the I.S. group, stuck jihadist positions in Syria.
Turkish artillery fired on I.S. targets in Syria and in Iraq after a deadly suicide attack in Istanbul’s tourist hub of Sultanahmet in January. The ceasefire deal in Syria, brokered by Russia and the United States, has been in place since Friday midnight. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said there been some incidents but the ceasefire was generally holding. The deal does not apply to territory held by the I.S. group and Al-Qaeda affiliate Al Nusra Front.
Turkish artillery has fired on Kurdish militia forces this month, saying it was responding to incoming fire.
Ankara said the Syria truce should have excluded the People’s Protection Units militia, which it considers to be a terror group linked to its own Kurdish militants. However, the United States works closely with the Protection Units as the best fighting force on the ground in northern Syria the battle against I.S.
The issue has caused major tensions between the two NATO allies, with Washington wanting Ankara to focus on the fight against I.S. jihadists rather than the Kurdish fighters.