Turkey steps up its fight against ISIL, fighter jets strike IS targets in Syria while police launch anti-terror raids in Istanbul.
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Turkish warplanes have struck Islamic State targets in Syria, the government confirmed early Friday morning.
It follows a decision by Turkey to allow the US to use an airbase near the Syrian border to launch attacks against ISIL militants.
Three F-16 fighter jets took off from a base in Diyarbakir and used smart bombs to hit three ISIL targets across the Turkish border province of Kilis, without violating Syrian airspace.
It comes after a cross-border firefight in the same area on Thursday between the Turkish army and ISIL fighters which left one militant and one soldier dead.
Police launched overnight raids on more than 100 suspected ISIL and Kurdish militant locations in Istanbul. At least 251 people have been detained so far, according to the Prime Minister’s office.
#Turkey raids suspected #ISIL, #Kurdish militant locations in #Istanbul http://t.co/SLURcJJyOV pic.twitter.com/11TlwAHF2j
— BGN News (@bgnnewsturkey) July 24, 2015
The security operations come in the wake of a suspected ISIL suicide bombing which killed 32 people in Suruc, a town on the Syrian border.