Report: Turkey attacks IS in Syria; 55 militants killed

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkish artillery has fired at the Islamic State group across the border in Syria, killing 55 militants and destroying three rocket launchers and three vehicles, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Turkish F-16 and F-4 warplanes struck positions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq, hitting the rebels’ shelters, ammunition depots and weapons emplacements, the agency also reported. The regions targeted included Qandil mountain, where the PKK’s leadership is based. The group has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state and is designated by Ankara and its allies as a terrorist organization.

The Turkish military strikes come as Turkey is facing twin threats from the PKK and the IS, which have carried out six major suicide attacks in Turkey since July, killing some 200 people.

The IS has fired almost daily rocket salvos from Syria into the Turkish border town of Kilis, which have killed 21 people and injured 70 others since mid-January. The Turkish military has been retaliating to these attacks in line with its rules of engagement.

Anadolu, citing unnamed military sources, said the military late on Saturday attacked IS targets in Soran, north of Aleppo and in regions northeast of Tal el Hisn.

The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the death toll.