Istanbul (dpa) - At least 10 Turkish soldiers are dead amid fighting with Islamic State forces near the Syrian city of al-Bab, reported the Dogan news agency Wednesday, citing military sources.Islamic State‘s semi-official mouthpiece, the Amaq news agency, reported that the soldiers died after a suicide bomb attack on the Turkish forces and Syrian allies west of the city.A further 18 were injured, according to the report. At the same time, 138 Islamic State fighters were "neutralized" according to a report by the Anadolu news agency.The term "neutralized" can mean the individuals are dead, injured or captured.Turkey launched a ground offensive in northern parts of the war-torn nation in August in cooperation with Syrian anti-government forces, attacking both Islamic State and US-backed Kurdish forces there.The Turkish air force has carried out 24 strikes in the al-Bab region. The Turkish and rebel offensive has brought the road between Aleppo and al-Bab under control, Anadolu reported. The next goal, according to the Turkish military sources, is to take al-Bab outright.Syrian opposition rebels, backed by Turkish air power and shelling, on Saturday entered al-Bab itself, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.The progress by the rebels and Turkish allies appears aimed at stopping the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from themselves taking over al-Bab.
