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1 dead, 3 injured in PYD/PKK attacks in Turkey's south

Mortar shell hits Turkey's border province of Hatay

22.01.2018 - Update : 22.01.2018
1 dead, 3 injured in PYD/PKK attacks in Turkey's south

By Erdal Turkoglu, Burak Milli, Ibrahim Toprak and Ridvan Korkulutas

HATAY, Turkey

One person died and two others were injured Monday during a cross-border attack by PYD/PKK terror group in southern Turkey as Turkish army’s operation in Syria’s northwestern town of Afrin continues.

According to a security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, PYD/PKK terrorists in Syria’s northwestern town of Afrin targeted the southern Hatay province with a mortar shell, killing one person and injuring two.

The mortar hit the Kaletepe neighborhood of the Kirikhan district.

The injured were taken to a hospital.

Separately, a Turkish soldier was slightly injured in the border district of Ceylanpinar of the southeast province of Sanliurfa after being hit by a PYD/PKK terrorist group’s harassing fire from the terrorist-controlled al-Hasakah.

The soldier was taken to the Ceylanpinar State Hospital where he was said to be in good condition, the same source said, adding that the Turkish troops deployed in the border region retaliated and hit terrorist targets in al-Hasakah’s Rasulayn district. 

Later on Monday, three rockets fired from across the border landed in southern Kilis province.

Animal injured, building damaged

One of the rockets hit the roof of a house on Kazim Karabekir neighborhood at around 3 p.m. local time (1200GMT) and the others hit a road and an uninhabited field close to that building, according to initial reports.

Security forces were sent to the area.

Terrorist positions from where the rockets were fired were later destroyed by Turkish artillery units.

There were no casualties; however, the building was damaged in the attack, Governor Mehmet Tekinarslan told Anadolu Agency.

On Monday afternoon, another rocket was was fired by PYD/PKK terrorists in Afrin.

The rocket fell on a barn close to a police hostel in Ekrem Cetin neighbourhood in Kilis, injuring a horse.

On Saturday, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to remove all PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin.

According to a statement by the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkish borders and the region as well as to protect the Syrian people from the oppression and cruelty of terrorists.

“The operation is being carried out under the framework of Turkey’s rights based on international law, UN Security Council’s resolutions, self-defense rights under the UN charter and respect to Syria's territorial integrity,” the statement said.

The military also said, "utmost care" was being shown not to harm any civilians.

Afrin has been a major hideout for the PYD/PKK since July 2012 when the Assad regime in Syria left the city to the terror group without putting up a fight.

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