Syria accuses Turkish air strikes of killing 150 in Aleppo countryside

The Syrian Army on Thursday accused Turkish air strikes of killing 150 people in the countryside of the northern province of Aleppo a day earlier, state news agency SANA reported.

Xinhua news agency quoted the General Command of the Syrian Army as saying that the Turkish air strikes on towns and villages in the northern countryside of Aleppo had targeted "innocent people" and constituted a "dangerous development that will further complicate the situation".

Meanwhile, the army threatened to down any Turkish plane that would violate the Syrian airspace.

"Any further violation to the Syrian airspace by the Turkish warplanes will be dealt with by downing them with all possible means," the statement said.

The Turkish air forces and tanks have been backing several rebel groups in an operation dubbed the Euphrates Shield, which aims primarily at thwarting the advance of the Kurdish forces near the Turkish borders, and dislodge the Islamic State (IS) group from the areas they hold in northern Syria.

--IANS

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