Europe

Syria and monitoring group blast Turkey over civilian deaths

Associated Press
Published | Updated

The U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, right, and Turkey's Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar talk during a meeting in Incirlik Airbase in Adana, Turkey, Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. Turkey's military says the Turkish and U.S. chiefs of staff have "confirmed" the need to fight terror groups in Syria and Iraq, including the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants.(Turkish Military, Pool Photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

The U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, third left, and Turkey's Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, third right, talk during a meeting in Incirlik Airbase in Adana, Turkey, Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. Turkey's military says the Turkish and U.S. chiefs of staff have "confirmed" the need to fight terror groups in Syria and Iraq, including the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants.(Turkish Military, Pool Photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

The U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, left, and Turkey's Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar talk during a meeting in Incirlik Airbase in Adana, Turkey, Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. Turkey's military says the Turkish and U.S. chiefs of staff have "confirmed" the need to fight terror groups in Syria and Iraq, including the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants. (Turkish Military, Pool Photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

The Syrian government and an opposition monitoring group have condemned what they call Turkey's "crimes" against the Syrian people in the northern town of al-Bab that is controlled by the Islamic State group.

Turkish troops and allied opposition fighters have been on the offensive in al-Bab for weeks trying to take it from IS, a battle that has killed hundreds of people so far.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish shelling and airstrikes have killed 45 people in al-Bab since Wednesday.

Turkey wants to clear the area near its border of IS militants.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned what it called Turkey's violations of Syria's sovereignty.

The condemnation was expressed in two letters addressed to the U.N. Secretary-General and President of the Security Council.