Turkey hits ISIL in first successful strike in Syria, US says

Turkish warplanes have successfully struck militants linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) in Syria in first Turkish air campaign as part of a global coalition built to defeat the extremist group.

For months, Washington and Ankara had been holding talks on the military coordination in the Syrian airspace and it seems Turkish jets are given the green light to join the fight in Syria. There was no confirmation of the air strike from the Turkish side.

• "We have seen in the last 24 hours or so that Turkey has stepped up their activity in Syria... reports overnight that Turks for the first time successfully struck a mobile ISIL target inside of Syria," Josh Earnest, White House spokesman, said during a daily press briefing on Thursday.

Turkey's contribution to the US-led coalition in Syria comes on the heels of stepped up Russian air activity in the war-torn country. Both Turkey and the US previously expressed unease about the increasing number of Russian aircraft in the Syrian skies. Russia reports of hitting dozens of targets inside Syria, almost the double of what the US-led coalition conduct daily.

Earnest said Russia would relish the opportunity to add additional nations to their coalition, primarily because "they're sort of out there operating on their own." He said the "neutered Syrian government" and Iranian forces are the only allies Russians are able to work with around the globe.

On Thursday, Turkish army said Russian air force commanders came to Ankara to "explain" why they continued violating Turkish airspace on the Syrian border.

White House said the United States is leading an international coalition of 65 countries, including some of the other most powerful countries in the world that have made a substantial military commitment to this effort.

As an example, Earnest pointed to Turkey, which conducted the successful strike to destroy a mobile ISIL target. He did not says how deep Turkish jets penetrated into Syria.

This is not the first time Turkey is hitting ISIL, but most of these strikes were fired from within Turkey. In late July, Turkish warplanes hit ISIL targets from the Turkish border town of Kilis with "100 percent accuracy."

Earnest said Turkey's strike in Syria is an indication of the capacity and the ability of the Turkish military, and shows NATO ally's army is stronger and more effective as being brought to bear on behalf of this broader international US-led coalition.
 http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_turkey-hits-isil-in-first-successful-strike-in-syria-us-says_401658.html
16/10/15
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