UPDATE 2-Turkey, Russia reviewing deployment in Syria's Tel Rifaat region - Turkish VP
Two separate attacks on Saturday by Kurdish militants from Tel Rifaat and northern Iraq killed a total of four Turkish soldiers and wounded two others, Turkey's defence ministry said. The army retaliated in both cases, killing 28 militants, it said. Security sources later reported five additional militant deaths.
In an interview with broadcaster Kanal 7, Oktay said Turkey and Russia were discussing developments in the region and that Turkish military operations along the border would continue until all threats had been eliminated. "The agreement was for us to stop there (Tel Rifaat), but if these attacks continue, this may take a different shape. We are discussing this with Russia," Oktay said.
Turkish air strikes launched in retaliation to Saturday's attacks targeted the area across the border from the southeastern province of Hakkari, the sources said, adding that the army's operations in the region continued. Two civilians in the Silopi district of neighbouring Sirnak province were killed on Sunday after militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) detonated a roadside bomb.
Turkey's military launched an operation in the region to find the militants, the defence ministry said in a statement, during which two Turkish soldiers were killed. It said the operation in the area, supported by Turkish jets, was ongoing. Turkish forces have regularly carried out air strikes against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. It shelled positions held by the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia 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 (13 miles) east of Afrin, which has been under the control of Turkey and its Free Syrian Army allies since an operation last year to drive out the YPG. Turkey, a major backer of rebel groups fighting Syrian 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 had carried out the first "independent and coordinated" patrols in Tel Rifaat. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by John Stonestreet and Dale Hudson)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
- READ MORE ON:
- Lebanese Forces
- Special Forces
- Sonic Forces
- Syrian passport
- Syrian Army
- Syrian pound
- Global Sources
- Boulevard Des Sources
- Les Sources De L'huveaune
- Kurdish nationalism
- Kurdish music
- Kurdish cuisine
- We Were Soldiers
- Toy Soldiers
- Small Soldiers
- Turkey
- Tel Rifaat
- Fuat Oktay
- officials
- militants
ALSO READ
Senior US treasury officials to urge India to maintain implementation of Russian oil price cap
Russian drone attack kills five in Ukraine's Kharkiv, officials say
Russian drone attack kills at least four in Ukraine's Kharkiv, officials say
Senior US treasury officials to urge India to maintain implementation of Russian oil price cap
Russian rouble dips against the US dollar