ANKARA, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- A total of 23 Islamic State (IS) militants were "neutralized" in northern Syria on Saturday, the Turkish General Staff said.
The Turkish Army said in a statement that Turkish jets destroyed 12 IS targets in al-Bab, Kabr al-Mukri, Bzagah, Tadif and abu-Jabbar and killed 12 IS militants.
Other 11 militants were neutralized in ground clashes, the military said.
The operation was focused on capturing al-Bab district of Syria, with intensified land and air attacks, the statement said.
The statement added that a total of 172 IS positions had been targeted and besieged.
Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the person in question was either killed or captured.
According to the army, since the launch of Operation Euphrates Shield, around 1,300 IS militants and 306 militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party and the People's Democratic Union have been "neutralized."
Turkish explosive disposal teams have defused 2,556 handmade explosives and 42 mines in areas cleared of IS since the beginning of Operation Euphrates Shield.
