ANKARA, October 10. /TASS/. During the first hours of its trans-border military operation, Peace Spring, the Turkish armed forces struck 181 ‘terrorist facilities’ in Syria, the republic’s Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday.
"Within the framework of the Peace Spring operation east of the Euphrates [River], the Air Force and other combat units struck 181 facilities belonging to terrorist organizations," the ministry said in a communique.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Turkish forces conducted an airstrike on a prison housing captured militants of the Islamic State terrorist group (outlawed in Russia).
"One of the prisons that ISIS detainees (are) held in was struck by Turkish airstrike," the agency quoted the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as saying in a Twitter post.
No further details are available so far.
On Wednesday, Ankara launched a new military operation in northern Syria dubbed Peace Spring, which began with airstrikes on positions of Kurdish units. The objective is to create a buffer zone in northern Syria where up to 3 million Syrians refugees could return, Ankara believes. Syria’s SANA news agency branded the operation as aggression. Following these developments, France, Germany, the UK, Belgium and Poland called for a UN Security Council closed-door meeting on Syria, which will be held on Thursday.
Ankara has carried out two military operations in Syria so far, Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Olive Branch. As a result, a security zone was established between the border cities of Azaz and Jarabulus, while the city of Afrin was occupied.