Report: ISIL Controlling 90 Percent of Al-Bab Despite Turkey’s Claims

“In spite of what Turkey has claimed that the Euphrates Shield military operation in al-Bab is nearing its end, the Turkish-back militants have not made any progress in the town and the ISIL is still in control of 90 percent of al-Bab,” the Arabic-language Al-Watan daily said quoting the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The report comes as the attacks by the Turkish army and air force as well as the Euphrates Shield military operations are strongly underway and has taken the lives of 45 civilians, including 18 children, only in the last 48 hours.

The Turkish army troops have also sustained heavy losses and casualties in their operation that has been underway without Damascus government’s permission.

In a relevant development on Saturday, the ISIL stormed the defense lines of the Turkish soldiers and Ankara-backed militants of the Euphrates Shield near the town of al-Bab, taking control over several key positions in the region.

ISIL engaged in fierce clashes with the forces of the Euphrates Shield Operation Northwest of al-Bab and managed to take control of Dawar al-Ra’ei region and al-Shahabi farms North of al-Bab, inflicting major losses on the Turkish army and allied militants.

The Ankara-backed militant group pulled the remaining pockets of their forces back from the battlefield to evade more casualties.

A media source reported that simultaneous with ISIL’s advances near al-Bab, the Turkish air force targeted ISIL’s positions in the Northwestern neighborhoods and along the road connecting al-Bab to the towns of Qabasin and Baza’ah.

The source added that ISIL has now brought most of al-Bab’s neighborhoods back under its control and has found the upper hand over the Turkish troops in the battlefield.

A Turkish soldier was killed and three more were wounded in clashes with ISIL near a key town in Eastern Aleppo on Sunday.

Turkish soldiers and forces of the Euphrates Shield Operation engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL near al-Bab town.

A Turkish soldier was killed and three others were injured by ISIL in the battlefield.