Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Ankara’s “Euphrates Shield” operation in Syria has dealt a big blow to the Islamic State, and declared that the Turkish offensive will continue to ensure the safety of the country’s southern borders with Syria. “Turkey is the country that suffered the most from terrorism. We will never hesitate from taking the necessary steps to prevent further suffering. It has been three months since Euphrates Shield started. We dealt the terrorist organization Daesh a big blow. This operation will continue to maintain the safety of our southern borders and to foil attacks on our country and thwart terrorists’ ambitions to cross our border,” said Yildirim.
Turkey and Syrian rebels are carrying out an operation to push both the Islamic State, as well as Kurdish militias from the Turkish border. The Turkish-backed rebels have for days been besieging the Islamic State-controlled town of al-Bab, which is situated in Aleppo province, as part of the three-month-old offensive.