Kurdish YPG militia attack Turkish forces in Syria; at least 1 killed

One Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded in the mainly Kurdish-controlled northern Syrian region of Tel Rifaat on Saturday, during an attack by the Kurdish YPG militia, the defence 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 Islamic State militants and the 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, saying this was in response to YPG fire.

Tel Rifaat is controlled by Kurdish-led forces and is located some 20 km east of Afrin, which has been under the control of Turkey and its Free Syrian Army (FSA) allies since operation last year to drive out the YPG. Turkey, which has long been one of the main backers of rebel groups fighting against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, has conducted patrols with Russia, one of Assad's main allies, in northern areas under agreements reached last year.

In March, the defence ministry said Turkish and Russian forces carried out the first "independent and coordinated" patrols in Tel Rifaat.

(With inputs from agencies.)