The strikes were in retaliation for attacks, the ministry said. Kurdish sources told the German Agency that the Turkish allegations were non-existent.
The Turkish Armed Forces “neutralized” (killed) 16 “terrorists” of the Kurdish armed group People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, the Ministry of Defense announced in Ankara on Sunday.
The strikes were in retaliation for attacks, the ministry said. Kurdish sources told the German Agency that the Turkish allegations were non-existent.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated on Saturday that his country’s armed forces would launch a new large-scale operation in Syria. Ankara invokes the need to protect itself from attacks. Mr Erdogan said the aim of the operation was for his country not to be “harassed” in a 30-kilometer-deep zone on Syrian soil.
The People’s Protection Units have already been targeted by several Turkish military operations. This is the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Ankara describes it as a “terrorist” organization, the Syrian arm of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The Kurdish armed group is a key US ally in Syria, it has been the spearhead in operations against Islamic State (IS) jihadists.
Two PKK “terrorists” were also killed in northern Iraq, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a Twitter post.
Ankara frequently conducts military operations in Iraqi territory against the PKK.
