Two Turkish soldiers die in blast on Syrian border - sources

Two Turkish soldiers were killed on Tuesday by an explosion during the construction of a wall along the Syrian border, near where the military is conducting an operation against Islamic State and Kurdish fighters, military sources said.     

 

They said the blast, in the Turkish district of Karkamis, was caused by either a landmine or an improvised explosive device.    

 

Earlier security sources and Turkish media had said the soldiers died during the "Euphrates Shield" operation, itself in northern Syria. 

 

The security sources said the soldiers were wounded in the blast and then transported to a hospital in the Turkish city of Gaziantep where they later died.     

 

The Euphrates Shield operation initially targeted IS militias, but most of the focus since has been on checking the advance of U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters.