AUGUST 30 (CCTV) — Turkish fighter jets on Friday night joined the U.S.-led coalition air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militant group targets in Syria for the first time, according to a written statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Saturday.
The joint air strikes were conducted as part of a technical agreement between Turkey and the United States signed last week after months of talks.
Turkey was previously reluctant to take part in military operations against IS, but negotiations with the United States on the issue have accelerated since early 2015.
The country has increased measures to stop the flow of IS militants through its border and detained dozens of IS militants since early this year.
In early August, U.S. warplanes were granted access to Turkey’s key Incirlik airbase in southern Adana province for the air campaign against IS militants in Syria.
The smart bombs used by the Turkish jets can carry out more precise attacks than the barrel bombs used the Syrian army.
Turkey and the United States aim to build a region without extremist organizations on the Turkey-Syria border in order to place refugees and train Syrian opposition forces.
The U.S.-led coalition air strikes have not wiped out the IS militants. The militants have started to retreat from the Turkey-Syria border, but they still control vast swathes of land in Syria.
Analysts say the coalition forces lack coordination in the air strikes.
