Turkish soldier killed by YPG in N Syria

ANKARA

One Turkish soldier was killed and three were slightly wounded in northern Syria on April 30 during an attack by the YGP, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said.

The attack took place in a region where Turkey carried out a cross-border operation dubbed Euphrates Shield in 2016 to drive ISIL militants and the YPG from its border with Syria. Turkey regards the YPG as a terrorist organization for its links to the outlawed PKK, which is listed as a terror group by Ankara, the U.S. and the European Union.

The defense ministry statement said the Turkish army opened fire in retaliation against YPG targets. It did not give further details on the whereabouts of the attack.

Since 2016, Turkey’s Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations in northwestern Syria have liberated the region - including Al-Bab, Afrin, and Azaz - from YPG and ISIL militants, making it possible for Syrians who fled the violence there to return home.