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ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish forces have bombed positions of Kurdish YPG militias on the eastern bank of the Euphrates in northern Syria, the official Anadolu news agency reported on Sunday.
The decision came two days after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan issued a "final warning" to those who would endanger Turkey's borders, saying Ankara was determined to focus on Syrian Kurdish fighters. to the east of the Euphrates.
The bombing was targeting the Zor Magar region, west of the Ayn al-Arab region in northern Syria, and aimed to prevent "terrorist activities," reported Anadolu.
Turkey regards the YPG militia as a terrorist organization and an extension of the illegal Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has led an insurgency in Turkey for more than three decades.
The YPG took control of large areas of northeastern Syria in 2012 as government forces withdrew to fight rebels in the west.
Turkey launched an offensive against YPG forces in the Afrin region of northern Syria earlier this year. Two years ago, Ankara intervened further east in northern Syria to sweep the Islamic State fighters and control the advance of the YPGs.
The Turkish army also announced that eight PKK militants were killed on Sunday in air strikes in the northern Iraqi regions of Hakurk and Avasin-Basyan.
In recent months, Turkey has regularly attacked PKK bases in northern Iraq, including the insurgency stronghold in the Qandil Mountains.
The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and Europe.
Report by Ali Kucukgocmen; Edited by Elaine Hardcastle and David Evans
