Shelling by Turkish artillery and drones, which took off from southern Turkey, struck the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group in Syria on Sunday, killing 34 militants, the Turkish military said. It said the strikes, in response to IS rocket attacks that hit the southern Turkish province of Kilis, destroyed six vehicles and five IS gun positions. The border town of Kilis and surrounding area has been hit frequently by rocket fire from IS-controlled Syrian territory in recent months, killing civilians, Reuters reported. In Sunday’s strikes, Turkish howitzers and multiple rocket launchers first hit IS targets about 12 km south of the border, then four drones that took off from the Incirlik base in southern Turkey destroyed further targets, the military said. Turkey has repeatedly fired back at IS positions under its rules of engagement, but has said it needs greater support from western allies, citing the difficulty of hitting moving targets with howitzers. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last week that the US would deploy a rocket launcher system near the stretch of border that has come under attack.
