Turkey Reinforcing Syria Operation

Turkey is sending 300 more troops to northern Syria to reinforce an operation aimed at pushing the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group and Syrian Kurdish fighters away from its southern border, state media reported on Thursday. Some 300 commandos are being sent to reinforce the “Euphrates Shield” operation, Reuters reported. It was not clear where in northern Syria they would be deployed and Reuters was not immediately able to reach the military for comment. Turkey launched the operation in August, sending tanks, airplanes and troops to back Arab and Turkmen militants. After pushing IS fighters back from Turkey’s Syrian border, the Ankara-backed militants have moved toward al-Bab, the last urban stronghold of the terrorist group in the northern Aleppo countryside. Their advance potentially pits them against both Kurdish fighters and Syrian government forces.