Turkish war planes fly over Syria in anti-IS campaign
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E-mail Xinhua, September 24, 2019
A total of two Turkish F-16 fighter jets on Monday flew over Syrian airspace as part of an anti-Islamic State (IS) campaign, a written statement from the Defense Ministry said.
The Turkish jets flew over Syrian airspace for two hours under Operation Inherent Resolve, the statement said.
A Turkish official spoke on condition of anonymity that the flight was in the planned safe zone area.
The operation was formally launched by the United States in 2014 and Turkey is also a part of the campaign. However, Turkey's air forces have for long not been flying in Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
The mission came amid efforts by Turkey and the United States which aims to set up a safe zone in the east of Euphrates in northern Syria.
On Aug. 7, the two NATO allies agreed to establish a safe zone and develop a "peace corridor" in northern Syria which would address Ankara's security concerns about a Kurdish faction that controls the territory.
The deal envisages withdrawal of the People's Protection Units (YPG) towards the south of the safe zone. The safe zone would also facilitate the return of displaced Syrians currently living in Turkey to their home country.
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