Turkish Army Says 1 Killed in North Syria

Arab World

October 27th, 10:10am

Asharq Al-Awsat

In this photo taken from the Turkish side of the border between Turkey and Syria, in Ceylanpinar, Sanliurfa province, southeastern Turkey, a Turkish soldier walks toward Ras al-Ayn, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

An attack by Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria has killed one of the Turkish personnel and wounded five others, bringing Turkey's military death toll to 11 since the launch of its operation, Turkey's army stated. In a tweet Sunday, the military said the attack occurred near the border town of Ras al-Ayn where its forces were conducting reconnaissance. The area falls within a 30 kilometers (19 miles) deep border zone Kurdish forces are withdrawing from, under a US-backed cease-fire. Despite that ceasefire and a second brokered by Russia, occasional skirmishes have continued, the Associated Press reported. The Turkish military claimed that its forces responded "within the framework of self-defense" to the rockets, mortars and heavy machine gun attack. A 150-hour truce brokered by Russia, allowing Syrian Kurdish fighters to complete their withdrawal, runs out Tuesday evening.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1963656/turkish-army-says-1-killed-north-syria