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Syrian Warplanes Kill Turkish Soldiers Fighting in Syria Turkey Says Syrian Warplanes Killed 3 of Its Soldiers in Syria
(about 7 hours later)
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Turkish soldiers were killed on Thursday by Syrian warplanes while fighting inside Syria for the first time since the civil war there began in 2011, the Turkish military announced. BEIRUT, Lebanon — Three Turkish soldiers were killed on Thursday by Syrian warplanes for the first time while fighting inside Syria since the civil war there began, the Turkish military announced.
Three soldiers were killed and 10 others wounded, the military said. The troops were advancing toward Al Bab, a city in the north held by the Islamic State, close to the border with Turkey. The Turkish troops were advancing toward Al Bab, a city in the north held by the Islamic State, close to the border with Turkey, the military said.
The announcement heightened the tensions between Syria and Turkey, neighboring countries that have powerful allies. The announcement that three soldiers were killed and 10 were wounded heightened the tensions between Syria and Turkey, neighbors that have powerful allies. The Syrian government is backed by Russia and Iran. Turkey, a member of NATO, began a major offensive in northern Syria in August as part of its fight against the Islamic State.
The Syrian government is backed by Russia and Iran. Turkey, a member of NATO, began a major offensive in northern Syria in August as part of its fight against the Islamic State. Turkey’s prime minister, Binali Yildirim, told Hurriyet, a leading Turkish newspaper, that the attack would “not be left unanswered,” and he said it would not deter his country’s army from its mission in northern Syria.
Syrian Arab rebel forces fighting with the Turks said they had not received official notification that the Syrian government had launched the strike. One fighter said he had heard that the strike was from the Syrian government but heard later that it had been from the Islamic State. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a network based in Britain that monitors news from Syria, also said that the strike had been by the Islamic State. “It is obvious that there are some who are unhappy with Turkey’s fight against Daesh,” he told the newspaper, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. He added that Turkey would retaliate against those who carried out the attack.
Like Turkey, the Syrian rebels, who receive aid from the Pentagon, oppose the government of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. Mr. Yildirim also reaffirmed the assessment of Turkey’s military chief, Gen. Hulusi Akar, that the attack was carried out by Syrian government warplanes.
The Turkish troops had gone into Syria in large part to try to stop an advance by Kurdish rebels who are also trying to reach Al Bab to dislodge the Islamic State. The Turkish authorities see the Kurds as a threat to security as serious as the Islamic State, in part because Kurdish groups inside Turkey have waged a guerrilla war against the Turkish government. Nonetheless, some on the ground raised questions about whether the strike was undertaken by Syrian government forces.
Ankara wants to stop the Kurds from reaching the city in part because, if the Kurds succeed, it will enable them to gain a portion of the land that sits between two Kurdish-held areas along the Syrian-Turkish border. A network of activists that monitors the skies over Syria and warns civilians of impending strikes said on Thursday that its watchers had spotted a Russian aircraft taking off at 2:10 a.m. and also a Syrian aircraft at about the same time as the airstrike on Turkish forces occurred. However, it is impossible to know where the plane that was sighted went, and it could easily have had another destination, according to the network.
Syrian Arab rebel forces fighting with the Turks said they had not received official notification that the Syrian government had launched the strike. One fighter said he had heard that the strike was carried out by the Syrian government but heard later that it had been from the Islamic State.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a network based in Britain that monitors news from Syria, also said that the strike was by the Islamic State. But the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is not known to have combat aircraft.
Like Turkey, the Syrian rebels, who have received aid from the Pentagon, oppose the government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.
The Turkish troops had gone into Syria in large part to try to stop an advance by Kurdish rebels who are also trying to reach Al Bab to dislodge the Islamic State. The Turkish authorities see the Kurds as a threat to security as serious as the Islamic State, in part because Kurdish groups inside Turkey have waged a guerrilla war against the government.
Ankara wants to stop the Kurds from reaching the city in part because, if the Kurds succeed, it will enable them to gain a portion of the land that sits between two Kurdish-held areas along the Syrian-Turkish border and increases their potential for joining the two regions.
So far, the Turks have made progress in their effort to take control of at least a strip of land south of the Syrian border from Turkey, and they are trying to deepen their hold farther into Syria to hold off the Kurds. The Turks have said that they would like to have a buffer zone in northern Syria. Theoretically, it would be a safe area where relief agencies could operate refugee camps.
The Americans say they are not participating in the fight for Al Bab either on the side of the Turks or on the side of the Kurds, although the United States has at times supported rebel groups fighting with both the Turks and the Kurds.
A spokesman for the American coalition in Baghdad, Col. John Dorrian, said in a video conference on Nov. 17 that the offensive by Turkish troops and Syrian Arab rebels was “an independent national decision” by Turkey. He added that it was not “supported by coalition airstrikes.”
In addition, a group of American Special Forces, which was deployed in the north of Aleppo Province in order to support the Turkish military, was recalled, Colonel Dorrian said.
On Thursday morning, Turkish troops, backed by Syrian Arab fighters, had almost reached Al Bab, according to rebel commanders. They said they were a little more than half a mile from the city when they were hit by the government jets.On Thursday morning, Turkish troops, backed by Syrian Arab fighters, had almost reached Al Bab, according to rebel commanders. They said they were a little more than half a mile from the city when they were hit by the government jets.
Although this is the first time that the Turkish military has reported the deaths of its soldiers by Syrian government planes, Turkish troops have died while fighting the Islamic State in Syria.Although this is the first time that the Turkish military has reported the deaths of its soldiers by Syrian government planes, Turkish troops have died while fighting the Islamic State in Syria.
Also on Thursday morning, a car packed with explosives blew up in the parking lot of the governor’s office in the southern Turkish city of Adana, shaking buildings for blocks around, according to local news reports. Two people were killed and 21 others wounded, according to government estimates. Also on Thursday morning, a car packed with explosives blew up in the parking lot of the governor’s office in the southern Turkish city of Adana, shaking buildings for blocks around, according to local news reports. Two people were killed and 21 were wounded, according to government estimates.
The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet’s website quoted Mahmut Demirtas, the governor of Adana, as saying that a vehicle had exploded at about 8 a.m. in the parking lot, close to the entrance that is used by high-level officials in the city government. Hurriyet’s website quoted Mahmut Demirtas, the governor of Adana, as saying that a vehicle had exploded around 8 a.m. in the parking lot, close to the entrance that is used by high-level officials in the city government.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Deeper into Syria, in the eastern part of Aleppo, which is held by antigovernment rebels, the Syrian government continued to batter residential areas as it has for more than a week after a brief pause, according to doctors in Aleppo and residents of rebel-held areas.
At least 12 people in eastern Aleppo were killed on Thursday, according to residents in the city communicating by WhatsApp. There are about 250,000 people in the city’s east, and most have been unable to leave because the roads are held by government forces.
However, four families managed to flee the besieged area in the past 24 hours and crossed into land controlled by Syrian Kurdish forces that also oppose the country’s government, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Rebel fighters in eastern Aleppo struck back at the government-held west of the city, shelling one neighborhood and wounding 13 people as well and damaging property.