Turkish-led air and ground operations in Syria killed 48 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants on Jan. 8 while Turkish warplanes destroyed 23 buildings and shelters used by the jihadists, Turkey’s armed forces said in a statement on Jan. 9.
Turkey launched its Euphrates Shield Operation on Aug. 24, 2016 in order to clear its border of terrorist organizations, including ISIL and the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) forces and in recent weeks they have been besieging the ISIL-controlled town of al-Bab.