After establishing a foothold at the western entrance of Al-Bab, the Turkish Armed Forces and aligned Syrian rebels have seen their joint Euphrates Shield forces in eastern Aleppo gain further ground over the past 24 hours in the battle for the imperative Islamic State bastion.
Beginning on Wednesday around midnight, elite assault units of the Turkish Army and proxy Syrian militants fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) swept through several sites which ultimately saw them take control of the National Hospital, Youth Housing and Aqil hill in the western part of the city.
Effectively, ISIS controls around 90% of the city after months of persistently repelling hostile factions at the gates of the city despite sustaining a massive ongoing artillery barrage.
Unfortunately for the Turkish Armed Forces, 2 soldiers were killed and a further 15 injured during clashes on Wednesday. The injured Turkish combattants were immediately transfered to a nearby hospital and are in stable condition for the most part, state media reported. Furthermore, ISIS and Syrian rebel factions suffered a number of casualties.
Now, the Turkish Army is within striking distance of the Zamzam mosque and Mashira Park but will likely try to pinch out an ISIS bulge in the northwestern part of the city, thus solidifying their forward positions.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Arab Army is closing in on the southern flank and threatens to cut off ISIS’ only supply line to the city which in turn would inevitably settle its fate.
An HD version of the map can be found here.
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