<p>Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies have entered the Islamic State-held town of Al-Bab in northern Syria, as government forces moved closer to the jihadist bastion, a monitor said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency quoted military sources as saying one Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded in clashes with IS in Al-Bab. Turkish forces and allied insurgents have for weeks pressed an operation codenamed Euphrates Shield to drive the jihadists from the flashpoint town.<br /><br />The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish forces and allied militias entered Al-Bab from the west and then took full control of its western suburbs after fierce clashes with the jihadists.<br /><br />The fighting coincided with "Turkish shelling and intensive air strikes" on Al-Bab, the Britain-based monitor said. It said at least six civilians were killed by Turkish artillery fire and air strikes.<br /><br />Al-Bab is the jihadist group's last stronghold in the northern province of Aleppo and is also being targeted by regime forces. While Turkish-led forces have been advancing from the north, east and west, Syrian government troops are attacking from the south.<br /><br />On Monday, Syrian troops severed a road leading into the town from the south and by Friday they were just 1.5 kilometres from the southern outskirts of Al-Bab.Turkey began an unprecedented campaign inside Syria in August, targeting both IS and Kurdish militia.<br /><br />After initial rapid progress, the campaign has been mired since December in the deadly fight for Al-Bab. Turkey's Dogan news agency says 66 Turkish soldiers have been killed in the campaign since it started, mostly in IS attacks.<br /><br />And on Thursday, three Turkish soldiers were killed when a Russian air strike accidentally hit their position in an attack targeting IS in Al-Bab. Moscow said it was an accident and is being investigated.<br /><br />Despite backing opposite sides in Syria's conflict -- Moscow is a government ally while Turkey supports the opposition -- the two countries have worked closely in recent months.<br /><br />They helped broker a nationwide ceasefire in place since December 30, and sponsored a round of peace talks last month in the Kazakh capital, Astana. Al-Bab has been under IS control since 2014, when the group seized large swathes of territory in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, proclaiming its self-described caliphate.<br /><br />In recent months, the jihadists have been rolled back in large parts of northern Syria, both by the Turkish campaign but also by a Kurdish-Arab alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).<br /><br />The SDF fights with air support from the US-led coalition battling IS in Syria and Iraq, but Turkey regards the Kurdish component of the SDF as "terrorists".</p>
<p>Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies have entered the Islamic State-held town of Al-Bab in northern Syria, as government forces moved closer to the jihadist bastion, a monitor said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency quoted military sources as saying one Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded in clashes with IS in Al-Bab. Turkish forces and allied insurgents have for weeks pressed an operation codenamed Euphrates Shield to drive the jihadists from the flashpoint town.<br /><br />The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish forces and allied militias entered Al-Bab from the west and then took full control of its western suburbs after fierce clashes with the jihadists.<br /><br />The fighting coincided with "Turkish shelling and intensive air strikes" on Al-Bab, the Britain-based monitor said. It said at least six civilians were killed by Turkish artillery fire and air strikes.<br /><br />Al-Bab is the jihadist group's last stronghold in the northern province of Aleppo and is also being targeted by regime forces. While Turkish-led forces have been advancing from the north, east and west, Syrian government troops are attacking from the south.<br /><br />On Monday, Syrian troops severed a road leading into the town from the south and by Friday they were just 1.5 kilometres from the southern outskirts of Al-Bab.Turkey began an unprecedented campaign inside Syria in August, targeting both IS and Kurdish militia.<br /><br />After initial rapid progress, the campaign has been mired since December in the deadly fight for Al-Bab. Turkey's Dogan news agency says 66 Turkish soldiers have been killed in the campaign since it started, mostly in IS attacks.<br /><br />And on Thursday, three Turkish soldiers were killed when a Russian air strike accidentally hit their position in an attack targeting IS in Al-Bab. Moscow said it was an accident and is being investigated.<br /><br />Despite backing opposite sides in Syria's conflict -- Moscow is a government ally while Turkey supports the opposition -- the two countries have worked closely in recent months.<br /><br />They helped broker a nationwide ceasefire in place since December 30, and sponsored a round of peace talks last month in the Kazakh capital, Astana. Al-Bab has been under IS control since 2014, when the group seized large swathes of territory in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, proclaiming its self-described caliphate.<br /><br />In recent months, the jihadists have been rolled back in large parts of northern Syria, both by the Turkish campaign but also by a Kurdish-Arab alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).<br /><br />The SDF fights with air support from the US-led coalition battling IS in Syria and Iraq, but Turkey regards the Kurdish component of the SDF as "terrorists".</p>