At least five civilians were injured after the YPG, the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorists, carried out a rocket attack in the Tal Rifaat district in northern Syria on Tuesday.
The YPG/PKK was supposed to retreat from Tal Rifaat in line with an agreement between Turkey and Russia on Oct. 22, 2019, following the former's military operation. It is still present there, however, and targets civilian settlements.
At least six rockets were fired by terrorists at Mara, wounding five civilians and causing material damage, according to initial reports.
The Turkish military struck the terrorist group's posts in the region with self-propelled howitzers stationed in the Operation Euphrates Shield region, which was cleared after Turkey's counterterrorism campaign.
The YPG/PKK had seized Tal Rifaat in February 2016 with the air support of Russia. It had displaced around 250,000 people, most of which sought refuge close to the Turkish border.
The YPG/PKK, which occupies roughly a third of Syria's territory with the support of the U.S., frequently targets Azaz, Marea, Al-Bab, Jarablus, Afrin, Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain in the north of the country with heavy weapons.
In their attacks, the terrorists use advanced heavy weapons such as TOW missiles, multi-barrel rocket launchers, Katyusha and Grad missiles as well as the U.S. and Russian-made rocket launchers and mortars.
The Tal Rifaat area of Aleppo, located 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the Turkish border, stands out during these attacks.
The YPG/PKK has killed hundreds of civilians since 2016, especially by targeting hospitals, schools and crowded civilian settlements with its attacks.
The terrorist group wants to prevent the return of civilians to their lands by intimidating them.
Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents – namely, the Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019) operations.
In its more than 40-year terrorism campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
