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Turkish jets attack IS Syria targets | |
(34 minutes later) | |
Turkey has carried out its first air strikes as part of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group. | |
Turkey's foreign ministry said its jets began attacking IS targets across the border in Syria late on Friday. | |
Turkey has stepped up its operations against the militant group in recent weeks, granting US jets access to a key air base close to the Syrian border. | |
The US began operating from Turkey earlier this month with a series of drone strikes from Incirlik airbase. | |
"Our fighter aircraft together with warplanes belonging to the coalition began as of yesterday evening to jointly carry out air operations against Daesh targets that constitute a threat against the security of our country," the foreign ministry said in a statement, using a pejorative term for IS. | |
"The fight against the terrorist organization is a priority for Turkey," the statement added. | |
The attacks follow a co-operation agreement between Turkey and the US, which calls for Turkey to be fully integrated into the air campaign. | |
Turkish warplanes attacked Islamic State targets in Syria on 24 July, but not as part of the coalition operation. | |
The precise targets of the new Turkish strikes were not revealed. | |
On Thursday, IS militants seized five villages from rebel groups in northern Syria as they advanced towards the strategic town of Marea near the Turkish border. | |
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and other groups said IS carried out a suicide bombing on the outskirts of Marea amid fierce fighting in the area. | |
The IS advance was in the northern Aleppo province near where Turkey and the United States have agreed to establish an IS-free safe zone. |