Two Turkish soldiers killed, two wounded in attack in northern Syria: Ministry

Turkey’s Defense Ministry says two Turkish soldiers have been killed and as many wounded in an attack on their armored vehicle in northern Syria.

According to reports, the ministry said in a statement shared on Twitter late Saturday that the casualties took place in the al-Bab area of Aleppo province.

The statement added that Turkish forces immediately launched retaliatory fire, saying, “After the attack on our vehicle, terrorist targets in the region were identified, immediately brought under fire and effectively hit. Our punitive shootings against terrorist positions continue.”

Turkey views the US-backed People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region in Turkey since 1984.

Turkey has had a military presence in northern Syria, despite strong protest from Damascus, for the past years in a declared attempt to push Kurdish militants away from its borders.