In a statement, Turkey’s military said the militants fired rockets at Turkish tanks during clashes near the border area from where IS was pushed out of on Sunday, immediately killing two and wounding five soldiers.
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The fatalities are the first to be blamed on ISIL, also known as ISIS, since the launch of Turkey’s cross-border operation two weeks ago.
The army initially said that two of its troops had been killed, but later added that another soldier had succumbed to his wounds.
On August 24, the Turkish military started a cross-border operation dubbed “Euphrates Shield”, driving out IS militants from the Syrian border town of Jarablus.
The Turkish-backed forces have been advancing towards Manbij, a city around 30 km south of Jarablus that was captured last month from Islamic State by a US -backed coalition that includes the YPG.
Turkey wants to establish a safe zone in the 98-kilometre (61-mile) area stretching from Jarabulus to Azaz to the west.
Turkish television showed pictures of military helicopters flying across the border to take the wounded for treatment in Turkey. “The operation is continuing in the region”.
Turkey, which is battling a Kurdish insurgency at home, launched an incursion into northern Syria last month with the stated aims of clearing Islamic State from its border and preventing the Kurdish YPG militia expanding into new territory.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama sought to fix a rift with Turkey, expressing his wholehearted support for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The United States has backed the Kurdish fighters against the jihadists, but Turkey sees them as a hostile force linked to Kurdish militants on its own soil.
Erdogan referred to this divergent view in China, saying that it was important for the United States and Turkey to fight against all terrorist groups, not just the Islamic State.
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He made the remarks at the meeting with the US President Barack Obama during the G20 summit in China, the Hurriyet newspaper reported citing a diplomatic source. Ankara conducted airstrikes against IS inside Syria after that.
