Turkey coalition hit ISIL after rockets kill two in Kilis

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) >The U.S.-led coalition hit Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets in northern Syria located directly across from the southeastern province of Kilis after receiving coordinates from Turkey on April 25. The air strikes came in response to a series of ISIL attacks on the border province with a fresh attack April 24 killing two people raising the total death toll to 17 since Jan. 18.

Coalition jets took off from the ncirlik Air Base in southern Adana province at 1 a.m. on April 25 after Turkey provided intelligence on ISIL coordinates in northern Syria.

The coalition decided to pursue the targets following an evaluation and successfully killed a large number of ISIL militants and destroyed ISIL firing positions according to security sources.

The airborne operation was launched after ISIL militants repeatedly targeted Kilis – the only place in Turkey were Syrian refugees fleeing the country’s five-year conflict now outnumber local Turks – by firing rockets over the past few weeks.

Armored vehicles were also dispatched to the region as an additional safety measure from the Gaziantep 5th Armored Brigade Command. Reports indicate that a large number of armored army vehicles arrived in the Elbeyli district of Kilis early on April 25. The launching of rockets also startled local residents in Kilis as many fear sending their children to schools and some parents have reportedly filed requests with the Provincial Education Directorate for a suspension of school.

Provincial Director Abdurrahman Sevgili told reporters that the unease was understandable stressing that their efforts to take all necessary measures to keep some 31800 Turkish students and 20000 Syrian children safe.

“We have moved all classrooms to rooms on the northern side of the building because rockets come from the south; we have merged classes” Sevgili said adding that rooms on the upper floors had been evacuated and that break times had been shortened. Psychological assistance is also being provided for traumatized students teachers and administrators he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Yalçn Akdoan said that between mid-January and April 24 a total of 45 rockets had hit Kilis killing at least 16 people. On April 25 a rocket attack left five Syrians dead including four children.

The president’s office said on April 25 that Turkey had not yet received intelligence to ascertain if the border town was deliberately targeted by ISIL.

“There is a chaotic war on the Syrian side” presidential spokesperson brahim Kaln told reporters at a press conference. “Some of [the rockets] might be landing [in Turkey] by mistake and some might be fired deliberately.”

On the other hand Turkey has opened fire on ISIL targets a total of 5330 times mostly using artillery fire. Some 370 ISIL militants have been killed as a result according to reports.

A total of 492 ISIL militants have been killed in the 167 air strikes launched by the coalition conducted since Jan.9.

In a separate incident in neighboring Gaziantep on the same day a total of eight ISIL militants were apprehended in the province’s Ouzeli district the local governor’s office announced following the second ISIL attempt to infiltrate the district in the last week.

Security forces at the border detained eight foreign ISIL suspects while they were trying to enter the country from Syria the Gaziantep Governor’s Office said in a statement.

Legal proceedings have been opened against the suspects for “being a member of a terror organization” it added.

Security forces have caught a total of 13 ISIL suspects over the past four days in Gaziantep and in the Central Anatolian province of Konya.

Six suspected foreign ISIL members were caught in an operation on early April 23 in Konya.

The Konya Governor’s Office said in a statement that the ISIL members had considered possible attacks targeting statesmen visiting the city along with other strategic targets. Prime MinisterAhmet Davutoluwas in the city on April 22 at an event to promote Konya as the Islamic world tourism capital.

In addition seven suspected ISIL members were caught on April 21 in two different districts of Gaziantep.

Five Turkish suspects were caught while they were trying to enter the country illegally from Syria in the Karkam district in addition to another two foreign members of ISIL in Ouzeli.

Turkey has recently been on high alert as the country has been rocked by a series of suicide and car bomb attacks which claimed many lives and wounded hundreds.