Ankara

Turkish security forces have killed 12 members of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northwestern Syria. This information was given by the Turkish Ministry of Defense. The ministry said in a statement on Sunday, the action was taken against the YPG members after the Turkish Army’s Operation Euphrates Shield Zone.

According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, Turks view the YPG group as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The Turkish military launched Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria in 2016 as part of efforts to create a YPG-free zone on its border in the neighbouring country. The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union, has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish government for more than 30 years.