THREE Turkish troops were killed and 10 injured in northern Syria yesterday in an attack Ankara blamed on the Syrian air force, a claim which is disputed by Syrian activists who say that Isis was responsible for the blast.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the attack took place near the Isis-held town of al-Bab.

But Isis claimed it carried out a suicide attack on Turkish troops near al-Bab on Wednesday, calling the Turkish account into question.

A Syrian monitoring group made up of a network of activists also stated that the soldiers were killed by an Isis suicide attack.

Turkey’s claim of Syrian attacks on its hostile occupying forces comes a year after a Turkish jet fighter shot down a Russian warplane inside Syrian airspace, in which the pilot was shot by Turkish fascist guerillas as he parachuted to safety.

But the true motive of the unconfirmed allegation may be to draw fellow Nato members including the US into a war with Syria — and Russia.

Neither Damascus, Moscow or Washington commented immediately, but Turkey’s opposition Kemalist CHP president Kemal Kilicdaroglu warned: “This could drag Turkey toward a very dangerous process.”

Turkey sent ground troops into Syria in August to help opposition forces fight Isis. However their involvement has attracted global criticism as they have also engaged in fighting Kurdish factions who are backed by the US.

“It is clear that there are some who are not pleased with Turkey’s fight against [Isis],” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said. “But of course these attacks will be responded to in kind.”

Turkish troops are positioned near al-Bab as they are racing the Kurdish YPG militia to capture the key town situated just 24 miles from north-western Aleppo.

Al-Bab is vital to the YPG’s goal of linking its two areas of control in northern Syria, an outcome unacceptable to Turkey, which is brutally repressing Kurds within its own borders.

But Syrian troops launched a surprise attack yesterday from the outskirts of Aleppo city to the west of al-Bab, capturing several villages.

YPG forces in the western canton of Afrin launched a simultaneous attack on Isis on the northern flank of the army’s advance, taking five villages and bringing them a few miles closer to al-Bab.

And the YPG said guerillas repelled Turkish attacks on Manbij to the east.

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