|
DAMASCUS, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Six people were killed by Turkish artillery shelling in northern Syria on Tuesday, a military source told Xinhua.
A couple and their four children were killed when the Turkish artillery targeted the town of Burj in the city of al-Bab, which is held by the Islamic State (IS) group in the northern countryside of Aleppo province, the source said on condition of anonymity.
This comes as the Turkey-backed rebels of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) were advancing against the IS in northern Syria, as part of a military campaign dubbed the "Euphrates Shield."
Earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Syrian rebels, which are backed by his country, will soon take over al-Bab, as part of Ankara's declared goal of establishing an area "free of terrorists" in northern Syria.
Last Saturday, 20 Turkish tanks crossed the Syrian borders to back the FSA in their push against the Kurdish-led groups of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the People's Protection Units (YPG).
Following the entry of the tanks, the general-command of the Syrian army released a statement, condemning the Turkish infiltration.
It said the Turkish government continues to provide direct support to the terrorists by backing them with artillery fire and tanks "to continue their crimes against the civilians" in the northern countryside of Aleppo.
The statement further warned that "any presence of the Turkish army inside the Syrian borders will be dealt with as an occupation power and we will respond to it by all possible means."
