Turkey’s state television says 10 Turkish soldiers have killed in three separate suicide attacks in the northern town of al-Bab, which Turkish troops and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters are trying to capture from the Islamic State group.

Axar.az informs, the report by TRT television came hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says IS was fighting “for dear life” in al-Bab, carrying out suicide bombings and attacks with improvised explosive devices.

Earlier today four soldiers were also reported killed in the battle for al-Bab.

A total of 35 Turkish soldiers have died in northern Syria since August, when Turkey sent ground troops to support Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces in clearing a border area of IS militants and to curb Syrian Kurdish territorial expansion.