Turkish border troops come under fire during mine-sweeping effort

Turkish border troops who are conducting mine-sweeping efforts on the country's border with Syria in Gaziantep's Karkamış district have come under fire from the Syrian side of the border, halting their work in the area, the Turkish military said.


The soldiers returned fire at the northern Syrian town of Jarablus, which is under the control of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.

The latest exchange of fire comes after US Secretary of State John Kerry said at a meeting in Rome on Tuesday that most of the Turkish border was sealed off from ISIL.

Jarablus is across the border from the Turkish town and district of Karkamış and is the last stronghold of ISIL, which has recently suffered setbacks in Syria.

The Turkish military has been erecting a 16-kilometer security wall and sealing the area where mines planted by ISIL militants are located.

 Soldiers last week came under fire while working on the project.

The military said it struck ISIL targets in Jarablus with heavy artillery and tank fire...
 todayszaman.com
3/2/16
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