Turkey sends 500 Special Forces troops to Syria

Ankara: The Turkish military has sent 500 Special Forces soldiers to Syria to speed up its operations against the Islamic State (IS) terror organisation in the northern city of al-Bab, authorities said on Monday.

Yeni Safak, close to the Turkish government, said that the number of soldiers deployed around al-Bab amounted to about 1,100, Efe news reported.

The Free Syrian Army, Syria`s main opposition group that fights alongside the Turkish troops in northern Syria, has also sent 1,400 fighters from Aleppo province, which has recently fallen into the hands of the Syrian regime army, to al-Bab.

The Turkish army entered northern Syria in mid-August to liberate numerous cities that were under the control of the IS group.

According to Yeni Safak, in addition to the 500 soldiers, Turkey has also sent several tanks and armoured vehicles to the Syrian city.