The Turkish military killed eight PKK-linked terrorists attacking an Operation Euphrates Shield zone in northern Syria with mortars and multiple rocket launchers, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry said the PKK's Syrian offshoot YPG terrorists attacked the soldiers in the operation zone, but the military retaliated against them and also destroyed their vehicles.

The exact location of the attack was not specified, but the Operation Euphrates Shield zone includes the areas of al-Bab and Jarablus in northwest Syria.

Based on Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield on Aug. 24, 2016, using its right of self-defense to eradicate terrorist elements that threatened its national security, primarily Daesh, and ensure the security of the border in northern Syria.

During the operation, an area of 2,055 square kilometers (793 square miles) between the two towns was also cleared from terrorist groups in 217 days. Turkish soldiers and the Syrian National Army (SNA) eliminated more than 3,000 Daesh terrorists in almost seven months.