One Turkish soldier killed, five wounded in northern Syria operations

One Turkish soldier was killed and five others were wounded on Jan. 25 during the ongoing Euphrates Shield operation in northern Syria, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported. 

Specialized sergeant Kerem Çalışkancı was killed in clashes with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in the al-Bab and Kabr al Mukri regions of northern Syria at around 5 p.m. on the 155th day of the operation.

The wounded soldiers were immediately rushed to hospitals in the border provinces of Kilis and Gaziantep.

The Turkey-led Euphrates Shield operation, which began in late August 2016, aims to improve security, support coalition forces and eliminate terrorist threats along Turkey's border by backing Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters with artillery and jets.       

More than 40 Turkish soldiers have been killed so far since the launch of the operation.