Turkish Officials: Over 50 ISIS Members Killed in Airstrike on Saturday

Turkey's state news agency reports that in airstrikes conducted on Saturday, November 1, by Turkey and the United States in Syria, over 50 members of the so-called Islamic State were killed and at least 30 others were wounded. Reuters quotes a senior Turkish government official stating that Turkish fighter jets targeted positions belonging to the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Syria on Saturday. These attacks occurred on the eve of Turkey's parliamentary elections, which began on the morning of November 1. According to Anadolu Agency, six F-16 fighter jets of the Turkish army took off from Incirlik Air Base and bombed targets in Syria between 9 AM and 2 PM. The report also mentions that coalition drones led by the United States participated in this operation. The Saturday attack reportedly destroyed eight positions of the so-called Islamic State located five kilometers from the Turkish-Syrian border and was supported by ground forces from Turkmen units. Since mid-August, the U.S. military has begun its first air operations from Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. Since then, Ankara has taken on a larger role in the U.S.-led coalition. Turkey has also targeted positions of armed Kurdish groups in Syria. The U.S.-led coalition has been attacking positions and forces of the Islamic State and other extremist groups in Syria for a year. In this context, Turkey's parliamentary elections were held, with Kerry stating that major powers agree that Syrian institutions should not be dismantled, and a conference to determine Syria's fate was held in Vienna with the participation of 19 countries and organizations. Kerry also mentioned the deployment of U.S. special forces to Syria to combat ISIS.