3rd LD: 35 killed as Turkish warplanes bomb IS targets in Syria

A total of 35 militants of the Islamic States (IS) were killed as Turkish F-16 fighters bombed the IS targets on the side of Syria near the southern Turkish province of Kilis early Friday morning, local media reported.

Three Turkish F-16 fighters bombed the IS targets Bab region of Syria near the Seve village of the province of Kilis, killing the 35 IS members, private Dogan news agency reported on Friday.

In the operation, the F-16 fighters took off from an air base in southeastern Turkey, bombed three IS targets on Syrian territory for five minutes, and then flew back, said a statement issued by the Turkish Prime Ministry.

The air strikes came after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held a security meeting here on Thursday night.

On Thursday, one Turkish soldier was killed and two others were wounded in southern Turkey by gunfire from the Syrian side of the border, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The attack occurred in the border area of the southern Kilis province of Turkey, and the gunfire came from the area under the control of the IS group in Syria, according to the report.

The Turkish military returned fire and clashes were continuing, said the report, adding that one IS militant was also killed in the exchange of fire.

The assault followed a series of IS suicide bomber attacks at the town of Suruc in the Sarnliurfa province of Turkey on Monday, which claimed 32 lives and wounded 104 others.

Meanwhile, the United States and Turkey have reached an agreement to allow U.S.-led coalition warplanes to use the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey for air strikes on IS targets, local media reported on Thursday. Endit