Turkish military "neutralises" 44 Islamic State militants in northern Syria

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In a statement, the military also said seven rebels had been wounded in clashes over the past day, while 154 Islamic State targets had been struck by artillery and other weaponry.

Rebels supported by Turkish troops have laid siege to al-Bab for weeks under the "Euphrates Shield" operation launched by Turkey nearly four months ago to sweep the Sunni hardliners and Kurdish fighters from its Syrian border.

(This story has been refiled to correct number of Islamic State targets hit in second paragraph to 154.)

(Reporting by Orhan Coskun; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Nick Macfie)