Turkey hits ISIL positions in northern Iraq after Turkish soldier killed

Turkish artillery and warplanes struck Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) positions in northern Iraq after a Turkish soldier was killed on March 26 during a gun battle between ISIL militants and Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

The Turkish General Staff said in a statement that a Katyusha projectile fired from an ISIL location landed in the Bashiqa military camp in northern Iraq at around 3 p.m. 

"Due to projectiles that fell on the base, our hero comrade has been martyred and one hero comrade was slightly injured," said the statement. 

First Lt. ?smail Cazg?r was killed while another soldier was wounded in the attack. The wounded soldier was taken by helicopter to ??rnak State Hospital for treatment.

The Turkish army shelled ISIL positions after the attack, which was followed by an air campaign in cooperation with the anti-ISIL coalition forces. 

The General Staff said in a separate statement that the anti-ISIL international coalition led by the U.S. had targeted the jihadist group's positions in the northern part of Iraq after the incident. 

"Four terrorist Daesh [ISIL] positions in the north of Iraq have been hit by warplanes of the [international] coalition," said the army, using the Arabic acronym for the group. 

"Right after, four additional targets were intensively shelled by Turkish Armed Forces planes; the targets were destroyed," the statement read.      

Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu confirmed the Turkish warplanes targeted ISIL positions in Iraq in line with engagement rules in the aftermath of the incident.    
 
"At the end of the assessment we made with the General Staff chief, all positions that caused the martyrdom of our lieutenant were destroyed with the...