Afrin attacks martyred 2 Turkish soldiers since 2015

By Salim Tas and Izzet Mazi

HATAY, KILIS, Turkey

Two Turkish soldiers were martyred and another injured in PKK/PYD/YPG attacks that came from Syria’s besieged border district of Afrin over the past two years.

According to data from military sources gathered by Anadolu Agency, PKK/PYD/YPG militants conducted 10 attacks at borders posts in southern Hatay province and two attacks in southern Kilis province.

The soldiers were martyred in Hatay province while another was injured in Kilis province in the attacks. A border post was also destroyed in an attack.

Turkish Armed Forces returned fire as part of the rules of engagement and neutralized a number of terrorists, said the sources, who refused to be named due to restriction on speaking to the media.

In Sept. 2015, a fire by terrorists in Afrin, injured a soldier deployed at a Cilvegozu border post in Hatay province bordering Syria. The soldier later succumbed to his injuries.

A sniper from Afrin shot and martyred another soldier deployed at a border post in Reyhanli district of Hatay in March 2017.

Another attack from Afrin injured a Turkish soldier deployed at a border post in Kilis province in November 2017.

A border post in Hassa district of Hatay was destroyed following a mortar attack and harassing fire came from Afrin in April and June 2017.

Turkish Armed forces responded to all the attacks according to the engagement rules.

Afrin, a district of Aleppo near the Turkish-Syria border, is under siege by the PKK/PYD terrorist organization.

The PKK/PYD is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU.

Turkish military units are deployed in the district for a military operation that Turkey is ready for “at any moment", according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.

“The Turkish Armed Forces will resolve the Afrin and Manbij issue as soon as possible. Our preparations are finalized, an operation may start at any moment,” Erdogan told an opening ceremony in the capital, Ankara.