Turkish fighter jets destroy three ISIS targets in Syria as tensions escalate

Turkish air force jets have attacked Islamic State targets across the border in Syria as 5,000 anti-terror police also raided addresses in Istanbul. Three F-16 jets bombed Islamic State targets in the second day of fighting between the country and the terror group. Laser-guided bombs were used to destroy three targets but they were launched from inside Turkish territory so Syrian airspace was not violated. Tensions between the two have increased markedly over the past few days after IS militants fired at a Turkish border position on Thursday, killing a soldier. Meanwhile, police in Istanbul raided 140 suspected IS and Kurdish militant addresses in 26 areas of the city.

Four guided bombs targeted two headquarters and an assembly point

Turkey prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu

Turkey’s government is under pressure to take more action against IS following the deaths of 32 people in a suicide bombing in Suruc earlier this week. Three Turkish F-16s took off from the south-eastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir and dropped four bombs, officials said. The government also finally agreed to let the US military use the Incirlik air base near the Syrian border to launch its own attacks on IS, following months of negotiations. The move will make it far quicker for American planes to get into Syrian airspace and attack the group.

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