ANKARA, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces killed 3 members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, Turkey's Defense Ministry said Thursday.
The YPG members were "neutralized" when they were in preparation for an attack against Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield zone in northern Syria, the ministry tweeted.
Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralized" to imply that "terrorists" were killed, wounded, or captured in security operations.
Turkey's forces and the YPG members often exchange fire near the Syrian border, and the tension has increased since early January when three Turkish soldiers were killed by a bomb explosion on the border.
A day earlier, the ministry said Turkish forces killed eight YPG members in northern Syria.
The Turkish army launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016, Operation Olive Branch in 2018, Operation Peace Spring in 2019, and Operation Spring Shield in 2020 in northern Syria.
Turkish authorities say the operations aim to eliminate terror threats against Turkey and provide a safe zone that will facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their homes.
Ankara sees the YPG as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than three decades, claiming more than 40,000 lives. ■
