As the Turkish military closes in on al-Bab, Turkey, as a nation, united in its support for the government's anti-Daesh strategy in northern Syria to destroy the terrorist group and secure Turkey's southern border

The country as a whole is united in support for Operation Euphrates Shield to destroy Daesh and eliminate all other terrorist threats in northern Syria. The opposition parties, Republican People's Party (MHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (CHP), have expressed their support for the Turkish military and the Ankara-backed Free Syrian Army's (FSA) recent offensive on the Daesh-held Syrian town of al-Bab, as part of Operation Euphrates Shield launched on Aug. 24.

The leading politicians have said that it is necessary to eliminate terror threats for Turkey's future and sovereignty. Turkey's main opposition leader said Friday he wanted to see Turkey maintain an effective and strong presence in the region and protect its national security. Responding to recent Turkish losses in Syria, CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu told Anadolu Agency on Friday: "The news of our soldiers being martyred saddens us terribly."

Sixteen Turkish soldiers were killed this week in Syria's al-Bab in four different separate attacks by Daesh suicide attacks amid heavy bombardments. "But if Turkey started this operation to secure its own future, we need to endure the pain," he added. Expressing condolences to the families of Turkish soldiers killed in the fight against Daesh and the PKK, Kılıçdaroğlu said he hoped the casualty figures will not increase.

On Friday, military sources said that Turkish warplanes hit 51 Daesh targets, killing 22 Daesh terrorists and destroying 37 buildings used as shelters, weapon pits, defensive positions, three arsenals and one logistics center in northern Syria's al-Bab on the 122nd day of Operation Euphrates Shield. Artilleries hit 143 Daesh targets and killed two additional terrorists in the operation on the same day.

Meanwhile, security forces also intensified anti-Daesh operations across Turkey. On Friday, Istanbul police detained 31 suspects in raids carried out in an investigation against the Daesh terror group. Arrest warrants were issued for 41 suspects as part of an investigation carried out by the terror and organized crime bureau of Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office. Some 31 suspects were found and detained in their addresses, while 10 others are still being sought by the police.Responding to criticism against the Operation Euphrates Shield, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday in İzmir said: "Nowadays some ask what we are doing in al-Bab, they ask 'are we going to save the world'? This is not a matter of saving the world. You ask 'where is the state' when the bombs fall on Kilis. Now, al-Bab is about to be cleared by Turkish army and the FSA."Speaking during a soccer match, in Istanbul, organized to commemorate those killed in recent attacks President Erdoğan highlighted the unity among security forces against the terror threats. Speaking before the start of the match Erdoğan said: "Turkey is going through one of its roughest periods in history in its fight against terrorism. I believe that our police officers, soldiers, village guards and this nation will finish terrorism by standing in unity and solidarity."Defense Minister Fikri Işık told Parliament on Thursday that a nearly 2,000-square-kilometer area has been cleared of the Daesh terror group in northern Syria and more than 1,000 terrorists have been killed in northern Syria since the launch of Operation Euphrates Shield, and that clearing Daesh from al-Bab has begun.The opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli has supported the government's cross-border operations in Syria in a statement released on Thursday, saying, "The deepening chaos in Syrian territory poses a significant threat to our national security. Turkey's presence in Syrian territory is to ensure its own national security. As such, destroying the sources of terror at their roots is a necessity for our country's future and independence."The government has argued that Turkey's counterterrorism operations are continuing both inside and outside the country, as the anti-terror measures have become part of protecting Turkey's sovereignty against threats posed by several terror groups, including Daesh, thePKK and the People's Protection Units (YPG), as well as the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).Speaking to Anadolu Agency in Saudia Arabia's Jeddah, where he attended the emergency minister's meeting organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Turkey's presence in Syria is important for both the Syrian people and the Syrian territorial integrity, as well as Turkey's national security.Highlighting the threat posed by Daesh and the PKK terror group's Syira offshoot, the YPG, to Turkey's national security on its southern border, particularly as Daesh fired rockets into Turkey and carried out attacks through suicide bombers, the foreign minister said: "If we do win against Daesh there [in northern Syria] and push it away, then terror comes to us." As part of Turkey's new approach to its anti-terror campaign, Ankara has vowed to fight terror groups at their roots, before they are able to carry out attacks within Turkey's borders. As such, it argues that Daesh, as well as PKK terror threats, must be eliminated from Syria and Iraq before they are able to move into Turkey.Offering his condolences to the families of the soldiers who were killed in fight against Daesh, Çavuşoğlu said that as a result of the threats posed, Turkey will continue its determined stance and fight against terror groups.The operation on al-Bab was launched as part of Operation Euphrates Shield, which aims to eliminate terror threats to Turkey's southern borders posed by Daesh and PKK's Syrian offshoots, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG). In addition, the operation aims to establish a 5,000-square-kilometer (1,930 square mile) terror-free area in northern Syria, comprising of the towns: al-Bab, al-Rai, Azaz, Jarablus and Manbij.