Nine Iranian-backed Houthi militants were killed in fierce clashes with the Yemeni army north of the southern province of Dali on Wednesday, Saudi state-news channel Al-Ekhbariya reported.

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Turkish forces say they have encircled the Kurdish city of Afrin in northwestern Syria, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, marking a major milestone in a military offensive that began in January.

Turkey, a NATO ally, launched an operation targeting Kurdish groups — some of them backed by the United States — in Afrin province to clear the border area of militias it considers to be terrorist organizations.

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More than 300 Turkish army men and Ankara-backed militants have been killed in clashes with the Kurdish fighters in Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo in the last 4 days, a media outlet reported on Saturday.

The Kurdish-language Hawar news reported that at least 313 Turkish soldiers and Ankara-backed militants have been killed within the framework of Operation Olive Branch against the Kurdish militias in Jandaris region in the last 4 days.

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Four Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in clashes with pro-government troops on a border area between Diyala and Salahuddin provinces, local sources told Basnews website Monday.

“The clashes between al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) and IS militants took place after the extremists tried to infiltrate into Diyala province via Matibijah area on the province’s border with Salahuddin,” the sources said.

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Fifty-nine Turkish soldiers and 261 members of the pro-Turkey Free Syrian Army (FSA) have died in fighting in the Afrin region of Syria since hostilities began in January, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The death toll rose from the 44 Turkish soldiers reported by the London-based organisation four days ago. Turkey had put the number at 41 on Friday.

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