Turkey’s state-run news agency says Turkish tanks have crossed into Syria as part of a military operation to free a border town held by Islamic State.
The Anadolu Agency cited unnamed government officials but did not say how many tanks had entered Syria.
The town of Jarablus is a Syrian city on the western bank of the river Euphrates. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of 11,570 in the 2004 census.
It is located north of Lake Assad, just South of the Syrian-Turkish border.
In addition to tanks, ACV-15 amphibious armoured combat vehicles have been sighted. The ACV-15 is based on the American Advanced Infantry Fighting Vehicle, which in turn is based on the M113A1 armoured personnel carrier.
Turkey had vowed to “completely cleanse” Islamic State from its border after a bomb attack on a wedding that killed 54 people on Saturday.
In 2010 the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated that the Turkish Army had an established strength of approximately 402,000 active personnel, consisting of 77,000 professionals and 325,000 conscripts.
A more recent estimate put the figure at 391,000.
What a joke…Free border towns from ISIS?? Turkey as main distributor of stolen Iraqi oil by ISIS??
This is terithorial war to occupai a neighberhood country which is in war – against int. law, against principles of UN, who is again – silent…And Kurds? Who Will protect them? When is question of Palestinians – for everything bad – is responsible Israel! When we talk about Kurds – nobady in last 50 years…So Haag international tribune is for Balkan butchers only – all other can do what they want….