Turkey shells Kurdish People’s Protection Units in Syria

[Anthea]

Turkey shells Kurdish People’s Protection Units in northeast Syria

Turkey’s military on Monday shelled a People’s Protection Units (YPG) headquarters in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah Governorate. Military sources and local activists reported that the Turkish Army also hit adjacent Kurdish fighting positions in Ain Diwar village, in Derik District.

“Turkish forces targeted the YPG units in Ain Diwar with artillery fire,” a Kurdish officer told ARA News. “Today Rojava has witnessed a new violation by the Erdogan government.”

“The [ruling Justice and Development Party] and its allies are trying to hit the Kurdish forces in Syria in support of Islamic State terrorists,” the officer added.

The YPG’s leadership said the Turkish bombardment on Ain Diwar continued for one hour, halting after the YPG returned fire. “Our forces responded to the attack by launching several shells, targeting the source of the fire. Only then did the Turkish offensive stop,” they said.

Scores of YPG fighters were wounded in the hour-long bombardment and massive material damage was reported.

Monday’s barrage is not the first time Turkey has targeted Syrian Kurds. According to military sources, the Turkish Army has launched more than 22 separate attacks on Kurdish positions in northern Syria. The People’s Protection Units said that Turkey is targeting Kurdish areas in northern Syria “to undermine the Kurdish progress against the Islamic State.”

“We’ll not allow Turkey to continue those violations at the border,” the YPG leadership said in an earlier statement. “We are ready to respond and we’ll do whatever it takes in order to stop this offensive against our people.”

http://aranews.net/2016/11/turkey-launc ... ast-syria/