HATAY, Turkey

At least eight civilians, including five children, were wounded in the Afrin area of northern Syria on Monday in a rocket attack by the YPG/PKK terror group.

In a statement, the governor's office in the neighboring province of Hatay, just across the border with Turkey, said the terrorists had fired six rockets from the Tal Rifat area further south in Syria, targeting Afrin's town center.

Those injured in the attack were taken to nearby hospitals, while local authorities launched an investigation into the incident, the statement said.

The YPG/PKK terror group often mounts attacks on Jarabulus, Afrin, and Azaz from the Manbij and Tal Rifat areas in Syria.

Afrin was largely cleared of YPG/PKK terrorists in 2018 by Turkey's anti-terror offensive Operation Olive Branch, but the terror group still targets the region to disrupt the peace established by Turkish forces.

Olive Branch (2018) is one of the three successful anti-terror operations that Turkey has launched since 2016 across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents. The other two are Euphrates Shield (2016) and Peace Spring (2019).

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

*Writing by Faruk Zorlu