One soldier killed, another wounded in Syria

ANKARA

One Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded in northern Syrian region of Tel Rifaat on May 4, during an attack by the YPG militants, the defense ministry said in a statement.

The attack took place in a region where Turkey carried out a cross-border operation dubbed Euphrates Shield in 2016, aiming to drive ISIL and YPG from its border with Syria, the ministry said.

The ministry said the army had retaliated with artillery fire but gave no further details on the whereabouts of the attack.

Turkish forces shelled YPG positions in the Tel Rifaat region earlier this year in response to YPG fire.

Tel Rifaat is controlled by the YPG- which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU- and is located some 20 km east of Afrin, which has been under the control of Turkey and THE Free Syrian Army (FSA) since an operation- Operation Olive Branch- last year to drive out the YPG. YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the illegal PKK.