Turkey dispatches commandos to Syria's Al-Bab

By Ekber Turkoglu

TOKAT, Turkey

Turkey sent 180 commandos to the Syrian city of Al-Bab on Thursday, the military said.

The troops from the gendarmerie's “Wolves” battalion, based in the Black Sea province of Tokat, held a leaving ceremony before heading for Syria.

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters took Al-Bab, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Aleppo, from Daesh in February during Operation Euphrates Shield.

The commandos’ role in the city was not revealed but the deployment came more than a month after Turkish troops entered Syria’s Idlib province under plans to establish de-escalation zones across the war-torn country.

“We have performed very successfully against terrorists in all parts of Turkey,” Col. Hidayet Arikan told the departing soldiers. “I believe you will do your best to represent our flag and our nation there.”

Operation Euphrates Shield saw the Free Syrian Army, backed by Turkey’s military, liberate northern Aleppo province from Daesh terrorists.