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Turkish shelling kills 28 Islamic State fighters north of Aleppo - TV
Rebel fighters from the First Regiment, part of the Free Syrian Army, carry a Grad rocket in Aleppo's Al-Haidariya neighbourhood, Syria, May 29, 2016. PHOTO BY REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail
30/05/2016
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's military killed at least 28 Islamic State fighters in shelling north of the Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday in retaliation for the latest attacks against a Turkish border town, broadcaster CNN Turk said, citing a military statement.
The attack hit 58 Islamic State targets with artillery and rocket launchers, CNN Turk said on Monday.
The pro-government Sabah newspaper reported five people were injured on Friday when rockets fired from Islamic State-controlled territory in northern Syria hit the Turkish border province of Kilis, which is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Aleppo.
Kilis has been hit by rockets from Islamic State-controlled territory more than 70 times since January, killing 21 people including children, in what security officials say has gone from accidental spillover to deliberate targeting.
The Turkish military usually responds with artillery barrages into northern Syria, but officials have said it is difficult to hit mobile Islamic State targets with howitzers. Turkish officials have said they need more help from Western allies in defending the border.
Islamic State fighters captured territory from Syrian rebels in an area near the Turkish border on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The advance also brought them closer to Azaz, a town 6 km (4 miles) from the Turkish border. Rebel groups battling Islamic State in the area, which Washington sees as strategically vital, have been supplied with weapons via Turkey.
(Reporting by Seda Sezer; Editing by David Dolan)
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