ANKARA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces have killed four members of the Kurdish militia People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, the Turkish defense ministry said Tuesday.
The YPG members were "neutralized" when they were in preparation for an "attack" against Turkey's Operation Peace Spring zone in northern Syria, the ministry tweeted.
Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralize" to imply terrorists are killed, wounded, or captured in security operations.
Turkey's forces and the YPG members often exchange fire on the Syrian border, and the tension has increased in the region since early January when three Turkish soldiers were killed in a bomb explosion on Turkey's border with 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. The fight has claimed more than 40,000 lives. ■
