Turkish military returns fire into Syria after rocket attack on border town
Xinhua, May 4, 2016 Adjust font size:
Three militants of the Islamic State (IS) were killed in shelling by Turkish army after rocket projectiles hit the border province of Kilis on Wednesday, Turkey's Armed Forces said in a written statement.
The Turkish artillery units fired back the IS positions in the al-Bab region of northern Syria, which the jihadist group currently controls.
Two rocket launchers and two Katyusha positions were destroyed, according to the statement.
The Turkish army has been shelling the IS positions frequently since Sunday as the group successively hits Kilis province, while the IS group has also intensified its attacks at border town several times a day.
Kilis is currently housing nearly 110,000 Syrian refugees who fled their war-torn homeland.
The militant group hits Kilis, the Turkish town closest to the northern Syria region controlled by the IS, by Katyusha multiple rocket launchers. As the launchers can move before the Turkish army hits back, Ankara asked more military support from the U.S. to hit the IS positions firing at Kilis.
Ankara said it is battling the IS as part of a U.S.-led coalition, the extremist group also orchestrated a number of suicide bombings in Turkey's capital and Istanbul provinces, leaving hundreds killed. Endit