Turkish military kills 26 Kurdish militants

Ankara: The Turkish Defence Ministry on Friday said that its forces responded to an "attack" by the Syrian Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG) and killed 26 Kurdish militants.

Ankara's retaliation came after the YPG launched an "attack" on the Dabiq Base area in the Euphrates Shield Operation zone of the Turkish military in northern Syria late Thursday, Xinhua news agency quoted a Ministry statement as saying.

Turkish warplanes also launched airstrikes against the YPG and hit 30 targets in the Tal Rifaat, Jazira and Derik regions on Thursday night, according to the Ministry.

Early on Thursday, the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) hit the weapons and ammunition warehouses of the YPG with armed drones, the semi-official Anadolu Agency reported.

The tensions between the Syrian Kurdish group and Turkish forces in the war-torn nation have escalated following a suicide bombing in Ankara on Sunday.

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack that occurred in front of the Turkish Interior Ministry, in which one assailant blew himself up and another was killed in a shootout with police.

Two police officers were injured in the attack.

In another development, Turkish police on Friday detained 75 suspected members of the PKK across 11 provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that all the PKK and the YPG infrastructure and energy facilities in Syria and Iraq were now "legitimate targets" for the Turkish military.

The Turkish army has conducted three air operations against the PKK targets in northern Iraq since Sunday.

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 neighbouring country.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has been rebelling against the Ankara government for more than three decades.

Turkey sees the YPG group as the Syrian branch of the PKK.