Turkish
forces continue to face hard times near al-Bab. After their withdrawal
from the al-Bab hospital on December 22, ISIS used at least one suicide
bomber against the Turkish army and pro-Turkey militants and continued
attacks in the area.

As result of the clashes, ISIS captured two
Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks, one ACV-15 vehicle, a buldozer and lots
of various munition from Turkish forces. Photos confirm that Turkish
forces suffered a major defeat. The ISIS-linked Amaq news agency claimed
that the Turkish Army and pro-Turkey militant groups had lost over 70
fighters. The Turkish military confirmed that 16 its soldiers were
killed claimed that it had destroyed 90 ISIS targets in al-Bab killing
67 terrorists.
Later that day, the terrorist group released a
video of burning alive 2 Turkish soldiers – Fathi Shahin and Saftar
Tash. The soldiers were captured by ISIS near al-Dana in the end of
November.

By December 23, most of pro-Turkey militants have fled
in the direction of Azraq from western al-Bab. The Turkish army’s
personnel are now trying to gather the so-called “opposition fighters”
and to force them to prepare for a new offensive attempt. Photo-evidence
still show a high number of Turkish troops among militant infantry.
Turkish artillery units and warplanes once again launched massive
strikes on targets inside and outside al-Bab.

Late on December 22,
ISIS units launched offensive near Jubb al-Jarah in eastern Homs,
engaging the National Defense Forces (NDF) in the outskirts of Khattab.
By December 23, ISIS terrorists have taken control of Khattab and
launched a fresh push in the direction of Jubb al-Jarah. Clashes are
ongoing in the area.

Fighting between ISIS and government forces
continued in the area of the Tyas Airbase and the Tyas Pumping Station.
Since December 22, the terrorist group have made two failed attempts to
advance on the army and its allies in the area, suffering loses in the
manpower. The situation remains tense.

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New Data Reveals How Many Military Equipment Turkey Lost In Attempts To Capture al-Bab

The total damage, suffered by the Turkish Army in recent clashes in al-Bab, amounted to $18-19 millions.

A document, allegedly showing losses of Turkish armored vehicles in recent clashes in al-Bab, has been published online (source).
According
to the paper the Turkish Armed Forces have lost ten Leopard 2A4 tanks,
one M60T tank, two armored combat vehicles, one tactical wheeled armored
vehicle and one improved armored personal carrier. The most part of
Turkish military hardware was destroyed with anti-tank guided missiles.

Available
photo and video evidence of clashes between Turkish forces and ISIS
terrorists allow to suggest that the data provided in the document is at
least close to the real numbers.

According to estimates, the total damage, suffered by the Turkish Army,
is between $18,000,000 and $19,000,000, as the price of each Leopard
2A4 tank is about $1,442,953 (without taking into account the upgrade,
made by the Turkish Armed Forces), the price of the M60T is $4,000,000,
and the Cobra tactical wheeled armored vehicle costs about $150,000.

Photo: reddit.com

Photo: reddit.com

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