Image: aa.com.tr
A Turkish service member was killed, while another was injured, in an attack in the northern Syrian area of Afrin on March 31, according to the Ministry of National Defense of Turkey.
The ministry said in an official statement that the Turkish soldier was killed in a mortar attack by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK). Despite these accusations, the two groups have not claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
In early 2018, the Turkish military and its Syrian proxies occupied the area of Afrin following a short battle with Kurdish forces. Despite losing the battel, the YPG and the PKK managed to hold onto few positions south of the area, mainly inside the town of Tell Rifaat and its outskirt.
After the deadly attack, the Turkish military artillery fired more than 100 shells at Kurdish forces’ positions in the towns of Tatmrsh and Shuargha south of Afrin. Initial reports indicate that no one was killed or injured in the artillery strike.
The situation will not likely escalate any further, as the Turkish-occupied areas in northern Syria witness such incidents on a regular basis.
