Turkish warplanes kill 20 Islamic State group fighters

Turkey and its rebel allies now control a 90-km stretch of land on the Syrian side of the border and are pushing south. Amidst the ongoing multifaceted crisis in Syria, it is important for Turkey, the YPG and the US-led coalition to drop their individual interests and work to defeat the common enemy, the Islamic State.

The Turkish General Staff said Islamic State (IS) militants assaulted a Turkish tank in Tal El-Hawa region of northern Syria on Friday, killing three soldiers and injuring one.

Russian Federation has voiced deep concerns over the advances made by Turkish troops in Syrian territory, warning that such actions could make the conflict gripping the Arab country more complicated.

“Turkey will not allow YPG forces to extend their territory and gain power by using the Daesh operations as an excuse”, he said, using an acronym for Islamic State.

Ankara has been increasingly active in Syria, with the Turkish military launching a ground cross border operation on August 24, something that Turkish authorities are said to have been planning for more than two years.

Earlier, it was reported that the first group of Syrian refugees, consisting of 250 people, returned to their motherland September 7. It says a shortage of shelter space means many displaced families are sleeping outdoors in parks.

“Obviously, with ISIS (IS) removed from the border, we expect this development to have a positive impact on foreign fighters”, a senior Turkish official said, on condition of anonymity. Ousting IS from the city would be a turning point in the conflict.

Two rebels from the Free Syrian Army were also killed, other Turkish media reports said. It said the wounded were evacuated by helicopters.

“The actions that Turkey is now taking along its border with Syria, with United States support, is having the important effect of isolating Raqqa”, the official said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested that Turkey could take part in a future operation to liberate the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State group militants.

Erdogan and President Barack Obama briefly discussed a joint invasion of Raqqa during the G20 summit in China last weekend.

Both countries will hold further talks to hammer out the details of any joint action.