Turkey Strikes ISIS Positions In Syria, Says Report

Ankara: Turkey's army has launched artillery strikes on positions of the ISIS group in Syria after jihadists seized control of an area near the Turkish border, local media reported on Monday.

Turkish artillery fired shells from howitzers positioned on its border region of Kilis against ISIS targets, the private NTV television reported.

The shelling comes after ISIS extremists took back control of the town of Al-Rai near Turkey, which rival rebels had captured last week, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Neither the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front nor ISIS are included in a truce brokered by the United States and Russia that came into force on February 27.

In February, Turkish artillery had also shelled targets of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) inside Syria, with the military saying it was responding to incoming fire.

But Turkey has not shelled any positions held by Syrian Kurdish fighters inside Syria since the ceasefire was implemented.

Washington has applauded Turkey's role in the anti-ISIS coalition but US officials on occasion have urged Ankara to do more.