Syria Conflict: Russia and Turkey ‘in first Joint Air Strikes on IS’

Russian and Turkish jets have carried out their first joint strikes on so-called Islamic State (IS) inside Syria, the Russian defence ministry says.

IS was targeted in the suburbs of the town of al-Bab, Aleppo province, where Turkey suffered heavy casualties last month battling the group on the ground.

A Russian spokesman, Lt-Gen Sergei Rudskoi, said the joint action had been “highly effective”.

Russia and Turkey have become leading outside players in Syria’s civil war.

Al-Bab, about 20km (12 miles) from the Turkish border, has been the focus of a five-month Turkish campaign aimed at pushing back both IS and Kurdish forces.