Four Turkish soldiers were wounded in artillery and rocket attacks by Kurdish militants on bases in northern Syria, prompting a counter attack, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing the Turkish defense ministry.
The ministry said the attacks were carried out by the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and also the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey and Western nations deem a terrorist group.
Turkey has carried out several cross-border military incursions into northern Syria in recent years and has dozens of bases there.
The four soldiers were sent to a hospital, the ministry said. “Ample response was given to the terrorists with strong attacks on targets,” it added.
Earlier on Sunday Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that “we can never be safe as long as there’s a terrorist organization” in the north of Syria and Iraq.
“Hopefully in the upcoming period we will increase our efforts in that direction,” he added in a speech in the southeastern city of Şanlıurfa, referring to elections set for May 14.
