Turkish troops and their Syrian allies enter ISIL bastion al-Bab, and capture is imminent, Turkish president says.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies have entered the centre of the ISIL bastion al-Bab, saying its capture was just a "matter of time".

"Al-Bab is now besieged from all fronts ... Our forces entered the centre" with Turkish-backed Syrian rebels, Erdogan told journalists in Istanbul on Sunday before leaving for a tour of Gulf countries.

Erdogan said it was "only a matter of time" before the allied forces took full control of the flashpoint town.

"Daesh forces have begun leaving al-Bab completely," he said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group.

Turkish forces and allied rebels on Saturday entered al-Bab to drive ISIL fighters from the flashpoint northern town, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Turkish army launched an ambitious campaign inside Syria on August 24, codenamed Euphrates Shield, to clean its border from ISIL fighters and stop the advance of Kurdish militia.

But the clashes in al-Bab have proved the toughest in the campaign, with Turkish military fatalities surging.

One Turkish soldier was killed and three others wounded in clashes with fighters on Sunday, the private Dogan news agency reported, citing military sources.

The latest casualty raised the number of Turkish troops killed in the Syria offensive to 67.

The three injured troops were evacuated from al-Bab and taken to hospitals in Turkey's Kilis and Gaziantep provinces near the Syrian border, Dogan reported.

Al-Bab is the armed group's last stronghold in the northern province of Aleppo and is also being targeted by regime forces. </s> Syrian opposition forces say they have advanced inside the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab, in northern Syria.

The Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham militia announced Saturday on Twitter that opposition forces had taken the city's silos and sports complex in its southwestern districts. The coalition's operations room released a video on social media showing its fighters at the gates of the Hikma hospital. Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group also reported the hospital's capture.

Turkish troops and aircraft are also engaged in the "Euphrates Shield" assault on al-Bab.

The Turkish-backed forces are racing to seize al-Bab before rival Syrian government forces arrive. The Observatory says government forces are about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) away.

Al-Bab is 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the Turkish border. </s> A woman walks past debris along a street in Aleppo's Belleramoun Industrial Zone, Syria February 2, 2017. — Reuters picBEIRUT, Feb 11 — Turkish troops and Syrian rebels today entered the Islamic State-held town of Al-Bab in northern Syria, as government forces also approached the jihadist bastion, a monitor said.

“Turkish forces and allied rebels in the Euphrates Shield campaign entered the western edge of the town and took control of a number of areas,” the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The monitor said heavy clashes were underway with IS in the town, which is the jihadist group’s last stronghold in the northern province of Aleppo.

The town has been seen as a key prize and Syrian government troops and allied forces have also been advancing towards it in a bid to wrest it from IS.

Al-Bab was besieged since Monday, when government forces advancing from the south cut off a road leading into the town.

By Friday, government forces were just 1.5 kilometres from the southern outskirts of Al-Bab, while Turkish troops and allied rebels advanced from the north, east and west.

Turkey began an unprecedented campaign inside Syria on August 24, targeting both IS and Kurdish militia.

After initial rapid progress, the campaign became mired in the deadly fight for Al-Bab since December.

Turkey’s Dogan news agency says 66 Turkish soldiers have been killed in the campaign since it started, mostly in IS attacks.

Al-Bab has been under IS control since 2014, when the group seized large swathes of territory in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, proclaiming its self-described caliphate. — AFP </s> BEIRUT: Turkish troops and Syrian rebels on Saturday entered the Islamic State-held town of Al-Bab in northern Syria, as government forces moved closer to the jihadist bastion, a monitor said.

"Turkish forces and allied rebels in the Euphrates Shield campaign entered the western edge of the town and took control of a number of areas," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The monitor said heavy clashes were underway with IS in the town, which is the jihadist group’s last stronghold in the northern province of Aleppo.

The town is the target of two competing assaults, with the Turkish-led "Euphrates Shield" campaign advancing from the north, east and west, while Syrian government troops attack from the south.

It has been besieged since Monday, when Syrian troops severed a road leading into the town from the south.

By Friday, government forces were just 1.5 kilometres (less then a mile) from the southern outskirts of Al-Bab.

Turkey began an unprecedented campaign inside Syria in August, targeting both IS and Kurdish militia.

After initial rapid progress, the campaign has been mired since December in the deadly fight for Al-Bab.

Turkey’s Dogan news agency says 66 Turkish soldiers have been killed in the campaign since it started, mostly in IS attacks.

And on Thursday, three Turkish soldiers were killed when a Russian air strike accidentally hit their position in a strike targeting IS fighters in Al-Bab. Moscow said the incident was an accident and is under investigation.

Despite backing opposite sides in Syria’s conflict -- Moscow is a government ally while Turkey supports the opposition -- the two countries have worked closely in recent months.

They helped broker a nationwide ceasefire in place since December 30, and sponsored a round of peace talks last month in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

Al-Bab has been under IS control since 2014, when the group seized large swathes of territory in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, proclaiming its self-described caliphate.

In recent months, the jihadists have been rolled back in large parts of northern Syria, both by the Turkish campaign but also a Kurdish-Arab alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF fights with air support from the US-led coalition battling IS in Syria and Iraq, but Turkey regards the Kurdish component of the SDF as "terrorists".

The alliance is pushing towards IS’s de facto Syrian capital Raqa in an operation dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates".

The advance has progressed slowly, in part, SDF officials say, because IS has heavily mined territory around Raqa.

The Observatory said on Saturday that SDF fighters had now advanced to around eight kilometres from the eastern outskirts of Raqa, though their forces are further from the north of the city.

Turkey has suggested that it could turn its sights to Raqa after the Al-Bab operation is complete, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussing both Al-Bab and Raqa in a call with US President Donald Trump this week.

Syria’s conflict has killed more than 310,000 people since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

Successive rounds of peace talks, including discussions organised by Russia and Turkey in Kazakhstan last month, have failed to advance a political solution to the conflict.

Turkish troops, Syrian rebels enter IS-held town was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on February 12, 2017 and was last updated on February 12, 2017. This news story is related to Print/185719-Turkish-troops-Syrian-rebels-enter-IS-held-town/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Turkish troops, Syrian rebels enter IS-held town" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/185719-Turkish-troops-Syrian-rebels-enter-IS-held-town. </s> Turkish troops and Syrian opposition groups have reportedly entered the Islamic State (Isis) stronghold of Al-Bab on Saturday (11 February).

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said allied soldiers from both groups entered from the western edge of the town where heavy clashes ensued.

Al-Bab is the last town held by IS (Daesh) in Aleppo province, after the Syrian government recaptured the city of Aleppo in December 2016.

The confrontation in Al-Bab has the potential to endanger the ongoing ceasefire between opposition groups and Bashar Al-Assad's government, with both sides vying for the territory.

On Monday (6 February), the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) encircled Al-Bab as it prepared to launch its own offensive on the town.

However, on Friday (10 February), before the SAA was able to proceed, it became involved in an exchange with Syrian militants on the outskirts of Al-Bab, 1.5km south-west of the town, until Russian officials intervened and halted the situation.

A Syrian opposition member told Reuters: "[We] shot to warn them not to get any closer, but the tank responded and a clash erupted."

"Later on Russia intervened to calm down the situation," added the militant official. "This whole incident felt like a test."

Russian officials declined to comment on the flare-up, but an official from the SAA confirmed the incident on the condition of anonymity.

Russia and Turkey, in addition to Iran, have acted as guarantors to the Syrian ceasefire reached in December and extended in the Kazakh capital of Astana in January.

Further talks are scheduled there during 15-16 February, and talks backed by the United Nations are due to take place in Geneva on 20 February.

Turkey entered the Syrian conflict with operation Euphrates Shield in August while Syrian forces focused on the capture of Aleppo.

They and anti-government militants have since created a buffer zone in the north of the country where they launched offensives against IS and Kurdish forces such as the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Turkey sees the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) – a militant group within Turkey which has been fighting for its autonomy since the 1980s. </s> The Latest on the developments in the Syrian conflict (all times local):

Syrian opposition activists say a second car bomb has exploded in a town just captured from Islamic State group militants by Turkish troops and Syrian fighters, leaving at least eight people dead.

The Aleppo Media Center and Thiqa News agency, media platforms operated by activists, reported the second explosion Friday in Sousian village, about eight kilometers (five miles) north of al-Bab.

An earlier explosion in the same village killed at least 60, most of them civilians lining up to return to the town after IS retreated.

Al-Bab was captured by the Turkish troops and Syrian fighters backed by Ankara on Thursday, after more than two months of intense fighting.

A Turkish military statement Friday says the Turkish troops and Syrian forces it backs are now in control of all neighborhoods of al-Bab but that efforts to clear it of mines and explosives are continuing. Earlier on Friday, two Turkish soldiers were killed in an explosion near the IS-held town of Tadif, south of al-Bab.

The U.N. envoy for Syria has kicked off his second day of meetings in Geneva aimed at reaching a political solution to end the country's devastating civil war.

Staffan de Mistura on Friday hosted a delegation from the government of President Bashar Assad and is hammering out a procedure for the talks that could go on for days. De Mistura is meeting with the sides separately and is to hold talks with an opposition delegation on Friday afternoon.

U.N. spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci is cautioning that "this process is in its very early days" and not to expect fast results. She says de Mistura is "seeking to facilitate a process, and this requires some delicate handling."

On Thursday, the two sides met face-to-face for the first time in three years under U.N. mediation.

Turkey's state news agency Andadolu says the death toll from a car bomb near the town of al-Bab, just captured from Islamic State militants in northern Syria, has risen to 60. Most of the victims were civilians.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, meanwhile, says a separate attack south al-Bab killed two Turkish soldiers.

Friday's attacks come a day after the town was taken by Turkish forces and Syrian opposition fighters from Islamic State militants. IS militants withdrew from the town, but they still control areas around it.

In the first attack, a suicide car bomb struck outside a security office in Sousian village, north of al-Bab, killing civilians lining up seeking permits to return home. Yildrim says at least six Turkey-backed fighters were killed in that bombing.

The second attack took place near Tadif, a town still controlled by IS south of al-Bab. The Turkish military said the soldiers were killed when an improvised explosive device went off but Yildrim called it a suicide attack that happened as the soldiers were on a road patrol. Three other Turkish soldiers were wounded.

The deaths raise the death toll of Turkish soldiers in northern Syria since August to 70.

Turkey's news agency says a car bomb north of a town just captured by Turkish forces and Syrian opposition fighters from Islamic State militants has killed at least 35 people.

Anadolu news agency says the explosion on Friday killed civilians and Syrian opposition fighters in Sousian village, north of the town of al-Bab.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the bombing struck near a security post in the village. The Syrian opposition-run Qasioun news agency put the death toll at 45.

The report says the car bomb hit outside a security office where civilians had gathered seeking permission to return to al-Bab.

Al-Bab was captured on Thursday, after more than two months of fighting with IS militants who withdrew from the town but still control areas around it. </s> BEIRUT: A suicide bomber attacked Turkish-backed rebels just outside the Syrian town of Al-Bab on Friday (Feb 24), killing 42 people in a major blow just hours after they hailed its capture from the Islamic State group.

The bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives outside a rebel command centre in the village of Susian, eight kilometres (five miles) northeast of Al-Bab, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The blast devastated the twin command posts and also seriously wounded a large number of fighters, the Britain-based monitoring group said.

Most of the dead were fighters.

There was no immediate claim for the attack but it bore all the hallmarks of IS, which had put up fierce resistance in Al-Bab for weeks.

The strategic town, just 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of the Turkish border, was the jihadists' last stronghold in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo.

Turkey sent troops into Syria last August in an operation it said targeted not only IS but also US-backed Kurdish fighters whom it regards as terrorists.

With its support, the rebels launched an offensive to take Al-Bab last year.

It has proved the bloodiest battle of Ankara's campaign accounting for most of the 69 Turkish losses so far.

Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik said on Thursday that its rebel allies now had "near complete control" of the town.

The town was also seen as a prize by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces, who had advanced to just 1.5 kilometres (one mile) from its outskirts in recent weeks.

On Thursday afternoon, an AFP correspondent heard intermittent gunfire as rebel units continued to clear the heavily damaged town.

The battle against IS around Al-Bab is just one front line in the fighting in Aleppo province.

West of the second city, which government forces took full control of in December, fighting flared with rebels in its western suburbs even as peace talks got under way in Geneva.

Exchanges of rocket and artillery fire first broke out on Wednesday, centred on the rebel-held district of Rashideen, the Observatory said.

The government responded with intensive air strikes on Thursday that killed at least 32 rebel fighters.

"The regime wants to reinforce its positions around Aleppo and is using the rocket fire by the rebels as a pretext to bombard their positions and attempt to drive them out of the suburbs," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

A fragile ceasefire between government forces and non-jihadist rebels has been in force since late December, brokered by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey.

It has led to a sharp reduction in fighting in many areas.

But parts of the country which are held by IS or its jihadist rival, former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, are not covered by the truce.

The talks in Geneva between government and opposition representatives formally opened on Thursday.

They are the fourth round of UN-brokered negotiations, aimed at ending a conflict that has dragged on for nearly six years and claimed more than 310,000 lives.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said: "I'm not expecting miracles," but warned of dire consequences if the talks "fail again". </s> Turkish troops and Syrian rebels have entered ISIL-held Al Bab, the group's last stronghold in northern Syria, at the same time as Syrian government forces are also approaching it, according to a monitor and Turkish-backed fighters.

Heavy clashes were under way with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group on Saturday in Al Bab, 40km south of the Turkish border, which has been besieged since Monday, when government forces advancing from the south cut off a road leading into the town, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

"Turkish forces and allied rebels in the Euphrates Shield campaign entered the western edge of the town and took control of a number of areas," said the SOHR.

The Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham group announced on Saturday, on Twitter, that the rebel forces had taken Al Bab's silos and sports complex in its southwestern districts.

The coalition's operations room released a video on social media showing its fighters at the gates of the Hikma hospital.

The Turkish military said in a statement on Saturday that at least 43 ISIL fighters were "neutralised" [meaning either killed or captured] in the last 24 hours as part of the operation.

At least 245 ISIL targets, including the group's shelters, headquarters, defence positions and vehicles, were hit by Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters with Turkish Land Forces' support, the statement said.

It also said Turkish fighter jets destroyed 55 buildings used by ISIL as hideouts, two headquarters, two meeting points, a guard station, an arms depot, and a wireless station.

Turkey began a campaign inside Syria on August 24, attacking both ISIL (also known as ISIS) and Kurdish fighters.

After initial rapid progress, the campaign became mired in the deadly fight for Al Bab since December.

READ MORE: Operation Euphrates Shield - Progress and scope

At least 66 Turkish soldiers have been killed in the campaign since it started, mostly in ISIL attacks, according to Turkey's Dogan news agency. Turkey claims to have killed at least 2,705 ISIL members and 344 Kurdish fighters.

Al Bab has been under ISIL control since 2014, when the group seized large expanses of territory in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, proclaiming a caliphate.

Astana invitations

On the diplomatic front, President Bashar al-Assad's government and rebel delegations have been invited along with Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria, to meetings in Astana on February 15-16, according to Kazakhstan's foreign ministry.

The talks in the Kazakh capital will discuss the implementation and consolidation of the ceasefire in Syria, the ministry said.

Representatives of Jordan and the US are also invited to the meeting.

The negotiations - brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey - began last month with the aim of solidifying a broad ceasefire, in effect since late December.

The three countries have mapped out the areas they believe are controlled by the moderate opposition forces included in the truce and the armed groups that are not. </s> The Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Syrian government forces clashed in northern Syria near al-Bab for the second time in 30 days.FSA forces, supported by Turkey and some Gulf states, recently claimed the city of al-Bab, despite the CIA's move to freeze military aid to the group. Al-Bab had previously been held by Daesh militants before FSA reclaimed the city. Just four kilometers south of al-Bab, Syrian government forces seized the nearby town of Tadef. Between the two towns is where the violence is thought to have occurred.Sources from the FSA and the Syrian armed forces confirmed the fighting, with a Syrian official telling Reuters that Russia's intervention proved to be definitive in ending the clash. A rebel militant open fire on government forces after it was determined that Syrian troops were moving too close to al-Bab. The rebels further violated the ceasefire accord after having "targeted our forces in Tadef with artillery and machine guns," a Syrian military official said. The official described the militants as "terrorist groups that belong to Turkey." According to a statement from the FSA communications army, 22 troops loyal to the Syrian government were killed during the skirmish.Turkish forces were not present to ensure the ceasefire agreement, a Syrian armed forces official said. The "main aim" of rebels, according to the official, is not fighting Daesh, but realizing other goals, including an attempt to obstruct the Syrian army's operation confronting Daesh. The source from the Syrian military did not provide an official death count.Daesh previously retreated from 23 positions in villages east of al-Bab. One of the towns abandoned by Daesh, Tadef, was supposed to serve as a line in the sand between Syrian troops and military factions receiving Turkish support, a senior Russian official said.
Syrian rebels and Turkish troops enter al-Bab, with Syrian troops also approaching the town, prompting heavy clashes with ISIL militants.