A Turkish soldier in southern Kilis province was killed by gunfire that came from ISIS-held territory in Syria. Another Turkish soldier was reported missing after the skirmish.
The attack targeted a border post located in Kilis' Yavuzlu village and injured two Turkish soldiers. One heavily wounded soldier later died at Kilis State Hospital.
The Turkish Armed Forces released a statement saying Turkish tanks started to shell ISIS targets in Syria after the attack, and officials have launched an operation to locate the missing Turkish soldier.
Kilis Governor Süleyman Tapsız made a statement outside of the Kilis hospital and said that a group of smugglers trying to cross from Syria into Turkey opened fire on border security forces, resulting in the death of one soldier.
Tapsız confirmed another soldier went missing following the attack.
Turkey recently began launching airstrikes against ISIS in northern Iraq and allowing U.S. warplanes to use bases in southeastern Turkey to strike against the terrorist group. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç stressed that Turkey will continue to work with the U.S. to combat ISIS. A ministry official claimed that 20,000 people have been banned from crossing the Syrian border in an effort to prevent foreign fighters from entering the country. In late June, the official number for those deported by Turkish authorities was 1,350. The Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that that number has now reached 2,100. In addition, officials stated that through risk analysis systems designed to spot foreign fighters at airports, more than 1,400 people have been banned from Turkey.
