Turkish airstrikes hit Democratic Union Party (PYD) and People’s Protection Units (YPG) targets, killing nearly 200 militants in northwestern Syria in the early hours on Thursday, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
In the air operation carried out by Turkish military jets, 18 PYD/YPG targets including a tracked armored vehicle, a headquarters building, and shelters and seven other targets were destroyed, killing 160-200 militants, military sources told Anadolu, reports BSS.
The Turkish military has entered the Syrian town of Jarablus as part of the Euphrates Shield operation to back Syrian rebels in their fight against the Islamic State (IS) militants at the Turkish border. On Aug. 25 it struck Syrian Kurdish militants with artillery fire.
The YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, has been a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the IS in Syria.
Ankara has frequently voiced its concern over the YPG’s activities along the Turkish border and has been rigid in its stance in not allowing the PYD militant group to found any kind of de facto Kurdish state in northern Syria.
Turkish government said the PYD maintains close connections with the Kurdish Workers’ Party including militant and ammunition support through underground tunnels.
