Mortar shells hit Turkish border town, no casualties

ŞANLIURFA

Two mortar shells hit the southern Turkish border town of Ceylanpınar, but there were no casualties, Anadolu Agency reported on Oct. 9, shortly after Turkey and the Syrian National Army launched an offensive against the YPG in northeastern Syria.

Following these announcements, air traffic increased at the eighth Main Jet military base in Turkey’s southeastern Diyarbakir province.

Turkish fighter jets landed at the base, while others waited on the runway ready to take off. Military cargo planes also intermittently landed at the base.

The sound of howitzers also echoed in Ceylanpınar, as smoke rose from some districts of Ras al-Ain and fighter jets zipped along the Syrian border.

The Turkish army targets Syrian border towns Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain, which is across from Ceylanpınar town in northern Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the start of the operation, dubbed “Operation Peace Spring.” The operation started on 4 p.m. local time with air strikes, supported by artillery and howitzer fires.