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Turkish Shelling Kills 28 ISIS Militants North of Aleppo | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Residents inspect damage after an airstrike on the rebel held al-Fardous neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail


Turkey’s military killed at least 28 ISIS 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 struck 58 ISIS 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 ISIS-controlled territory in northern Syria hit the Turkish border province of Kilis, which is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Aleppo.

Since January, Kilis has been hit more than 70 times by rockets from ISIS-controlled territory, killing 21 people including children, in what security officials say has turned 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 ISIS targets with howitzers. Turkish officials have underscored the need for more help from Western allies in defending the border.

ISIS militants seized 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 ISIS in the area, which Washington sees as strategically vital, have been supplied with weapons via Turkey.