An Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) car bomb attack killed at least 27 civilians and six Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters in northern Syria’s strategic al-Bab area on Feb. 24, according to reliable sources from the region.
According to local sources, ISIL detonated a bomb-laden vehicle at a Free Syrian Army (FSA) position in the al-Bab village of Susyan.
On Feb. 23, the FSA, backed by the Turkish military, said it had taken control of “almost all” of the strategic town, according to Defense Minister Fikri Işık.
“Almost all of al-Bab is under control now, and a sweep operation is ongoing,” Işık told reporters in the Aegean province of İzmir.
“When the operation is over, we will be able to say that al-Bab has been completely cleared of Daesh elements,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for the jihadist group.
The Turkish-led Euphrates Shield operation aims to eliminate the presence of ISIL and the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) along Syria’s northern border with Turkey.
The operation, which began in August 2016, relies heavily on FSA fighters backed by Turkish artillery and air support.