Syria rebels backed by Turkey tanks 'seize' IS-held town

August 24, 2016 23:29

Turkish tanks and hundreds of opposition fighters thrust deep inside Syrian territory today in a lightning operation that within hours ousted Islamic State jihadists from a key Syrian border town.

The air and ground offensive -- the most ambitious launched by Ankara in the Syria conflict -- made rapid progress towards Jarabulus with rebel fighters already proclaiming victory by the late afternoon just 14 hours after it started.

"Jarabulus is completely liberated," Ahmad Othman, commander of the Sultan Mourad rebel group, told AFP from the scene, while another rebel spokesman said IS fighters had fled towards Al-Bab to the southwest.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasised the operation was also targeting Kurdish militia fighters strongly opposed by Ankara -- but backed by the US as a key ally against IS -- who had also been closing in on Jarabulus.

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