(Zaman Al Wasl)- Free Syrian Army pressed further gains inside the the ISIS-controlled town of al-Bab in northern Aleppo province, taking new neighborhood after three days since the Turkish-backed moderate pursued a major offensive to seize the strategic stronghold of ISIS.
FSA took al-Hikma hospital and Zamzam street in the western neighborhood of al-Bab, 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the Turkish border.
On Wednesday, FSA fighters, working with Turkish commanders, seized control of strategically important hills around al-Bab after operations launched overnight.
Operation Euphrates Shield, which involves FSA, was launched last August to secure Turkey’s border with Syria against terrorists and support opposition forces.
FSA advances risk putting them in conflict with regime forces also closing in on the city from the south. The regime forces captured the village of Deir Qaq, 3 miles (about 9 km) west of al-Bab on Thursday.
On Friday, regime forces have hit the FSA military convoys heading al-Bab to face any retaliation by ISIS, local reporter said.
In relevant development, Russian air strikes accidentally killed three Turkish soldiers near al-Bab town on Thursday, the Turkish military said.
"During an operation by a Russia Federation warplane against Islamic State targets in the region of the Euphrates Shield operation in Syria, a bomb accidentally hit a building used by Turkish Army units," the Turkish military said in a statement. Eleven other soldiers were wounded.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin had called Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan and expressed his condolences, blaming the incident on poor coordination between Moscow and Ankara.
FSA took al-Hikma hospital and Zamzam street in the western neighborhood of al-Bab, 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the Turkish border.
On Wednesday, FSA fighters, working with Turkish commanders, seized control of strategically important hills around al-Bab after operations launched overnight.
Operation Euphrates Shield, which involves FSA, was launched last August to secure Turkey’s border with Syria against terrorists and support opposition forces.
FSA advances risk putting them in conflict with regime forces also closing in on the city from the south. The regime forces captured the village of Deir Qaq, 3 miles (about 9 km) west of al-Bab on Thursday.
On Friday, regime forces have hit the FSA military convoys heading al-Bab to face any retaliation by ISIS, local reporter said.
In relevant development, Russian air strikes accidentally killed three Turkish soldiers near al-Bab town on Thursday, the Turkish military said.
"During an operation by a Russia Federation warplane against Islamic State targets in the region of the Euphrates Shield operation in Syria, a bomb accidentally hit a building used by Turkish Army units," the Turkish military said in a statement. Eleven other soldiers were wounded.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin had called Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan and expressed his condolences, blaming the incident on poor coordination between Moscow and Ankara.
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