ANKARA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least five members of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) were killed by Turkish forces in northern Syria, Türkiye's Defense Ministry said on Friday.
Turkish Armed Forces "neutralized" the YPG members while they were preparing an attack in the (operation) Peace Spring region in northern Syria, the ministry said in a statement.
Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralized" in their statements to imply the "terrorists" in question surrendered or were killed or captured.
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 in order to create a YPG-free zone along its border within the neighboring country.
Türkiye sees the YPG group as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades. ■
