WAR AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE
Syrian army issues Turkey clash warning
The Syrian army plans to press on with gains against Islamic State regardless of Turkey’s Euphrates Shield campaign
Beirut — The Syrian army signalled on Thursday it would press on with operations against Islamic State (IS) northeast of Aleppo, in a veiled warning to Turkey, which backs a separate military campaign in northern Syria. Syrian government forces have rapidly driven IS back in the past two weeks, advancing to within 6km of the city of Al-Bab that the jihadists are fighting to hold. The army’s gains risk sparking a confrontation with Turkey, which has sent tanks and war aircraft across the border to support Syrian insurgents who are trying to seize al-Bab in a separate offensive. Turkey’s offensive, launched in 2016, aims to drive IS and Syrian Kurdish fighters away from its borders, as Turkey sees both as a security threat. Syria’s military general command said government forces and their allies had recaptured more than 30 towns and villages from IS, and 16km of the highway linking Aleppo to al-Bab to the northeast. "This achievement widens the secured areas around Aleppo city and is ...
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