One Turkish soldier, 37 ISIL militants killed in Syria's al-Bab

One Turkish soldier has been killed in clashes with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria's al-Bab as part of Turkey's ongoing Euphrates Shield Operation, while 37 ISIL militants were killed in Turkish airstrikes, the Turkish military said in a statement on Jan. 7. 

The killed soldier was a sergeant and was part of the Turkish forces to capture al-Bab from ISIL, along with Ankara-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA). 

The sergeant died in an ISIL attack on Jan. 7, the statement said.

It added that Turkish jets killed 37 ISIL militants, including three high-level managers, in airstrikes that struck 35 targets. 

Turkey launched its Euphrates Shield operation on Aug. 24, 2016, in order to clear its border of terrorist organizations, which includes ISIL, along with Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) forces. 

The sergeant's death came one day after another Turkish soldier, who had been previous wounded in northern Syria as part of the ongoing campaign, succumbed to his injuries.