AZEZ, Syria

An explosion of a mine planted on a road by the PKK/YPG terrorist organization in the Manbij district of Aleppo, northern Syria resulted in the death of two agricultural workers and left 19 civilians injured on Monday.

The mine exploded during the passage of a tractor carrying workers to the olive harvest in Yalinli village, located in the northern Manbij district, which is occupied by PKK/YPG, according to local sources.

The terror group has occupied Manbij since August 2016.

The US had promised that PKK/YPG members would leave Manbij after the district was cleared of Daesh/ISIS terrorists.

While the Washington administration did not fulfill its commitment, Türkiye and the US agreed on the "Manbij Road Map" in June 2018, but the road map could not be completed due to Washington’s distractions.

Russia had also committed to remove the terrorist organization from Manbij, with the agreement it reached with Türkiye during Operation Peace Spring in October 2019.

However, PKK/YPG, which continues its occupation in the district, attempts to infiltrate the Syrian National Army (SNA) front lines from here, as well as launching artillery and rocket attacks on civilian settlements.

YPG/PKK terrorists hide out in northern Syria, where they plan and carry out attacks on both locals and nearby settlements in Türkiye.

Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

​*Writing by Gozde Bayar