Off the wire
• China Focus: Loans are double-edged sword for college students  • U.S. stocks open lower after Brussels attacks  • Greece beefs up security measures in wake of Brussels attacks  • EC senior officials express concerns over Brussels explosions  • Urgent: Metro explosion kills nearly 20 , 17 injured in danger: Brussels mayor  • Syria says Brussels attacks "result of EU wrong policies"  • Malaysia condemns Brussels attacks  • Urgent: Nuclear power plant in southeast Belgium evacuated  • Palestinian gov't bans products of five Israeli companies  • Sudan's opposition says committed to dialogue to end war  
You are here: 　 Home

Turkish military hits IS targets in northern Iraq

Xinhua, March 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

Turkish military hit Islamic State (IS) targets on Tuesday as a group of IS militants tried to attack a military training camp in the Bashiqa region of Mosul province of Iraq, local NTV broadcaster reported.

Turkish military units in the camp destroyed the IS positions repelling the attack, which is the fourth assault since December against the military camp that is relatively close to IS-held Mosul, NTV quoted military sources.

The attempt came after an IS suicide bomber killed five people and wounded 36 others in Istanbul on Saturday.

The IS militants launched their first attack on the military camp on Dec. 16 just after Turkey deployed around additional 150 troops to the Bashiqa area in December earlier with aim of training an Iraqi Sunni militia to fight IS. In a second assault on Dec. 27, five Turkish soldiers were injured.

Turkish soldiers killed 17 Islamic State militants on Jan. 8 while the IS group tried to leak into the camp.

The deployment in Iraq however has caused a row between Turkey and Iraq as the latter claimed the presence of Turkish troops to the camp was violation of the country's sovereignty. Endit