Turkey hits IS group in Syria, 63 militants killed

AP , Monday 2 May 2016

 The Turkish military has reportedly hit Islamic State (IS) group positions in Syria with artillery and drone attacks, killing 63 militants.

The state-owned Anadolu Agency said Monday the strikes took out multiple rocket launchers and gun positions.

Four drones deployed from the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey took part in the operation and killed 29 militants. The remaining 34 IS fighters were "neutralized" by rockets and shelling from Turkey, according to the agency.

The AP was unable to immediately verify the report.

The offensive started on Sunday when four rockets fired from Syria hit the Turkish border town of Kilis and wounded eight people.

The wider province of Kilis borders territory contested by IS group militants, anti-government Syrian rebels and Kurdish factions.

The Turkish army typically responds to fire from Syria in line with its rules of engagement.

In the past year, Turkey has also witnessed suicide bombings linked to the IS as well as attacks linked to Kurdish militants.

The latest came Sunday, when a car bomb detonated outside a police station in the southern city of Gaziantep, near Syria. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for that attack but anti-terrorism units raided 20 Gaziantep addresses overnight in search for suspects.

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