A rocket attack by the PKK terrorist group's Syrian branch YPG killed at least two civilians and injured two others in northern Syria on Thursday.
YPG/PKK terrorists mounted a rocket attack in the town of Tuffaha in Tal Abyad city, the local sources said, adding that one of the rockets hit a civilian house.
The injured were transferred to the Tal Abyad hospital for medical treatment.
Tal Abyad was cleared of PKK terrorist organization's Syrian wing, the YPG in October 2019 with Türkiye's Operation Peace Spring.
Türkiye has warned allied countries not to support PKK/YPG terror group for any reason, including in the pretext of fighting the Daesh terrorist organization, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in the day.
"In the recent talks with the allied countries, necessary warnings and reminders were made to them not to support the PKK/YPG, a bloody terrorist organization that attacks our borders and our people. For whatever reason, including the pretext of fighting Daesh, do not allow the use of their own flag and uniforms that will make it difficult to distinguish them from terrorists, keeping terrorists away from their areas. Cut off all relations with terrorist organizations as soon as possible," Akar told the reporters.
Akar informed that the PKK/YPG has recently targeted civilian settlements and carried out "vile and bloody" attacks on innocent citizens, regardless of children, women, students, or teachers.
"The attitudes of those who perceive the Daesh terrorist organization as a danger from thousands of kilometers away, about our necessary measures against terrorist organizations that target our civilian settlements, including schools, and massacre our innocent people, are unacceptable," the minister underscored.
Regarding the U.S. statements on Türkiye's possible Syria ground operation, Akar said: "They asked us to reevaluate. We also explained our sensitivities and wanted the promises to be kept. We stressed they should understand us."
Recently, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian wing, the YPG, which have illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil.
The country's air operation followed a PKK/YPG terrorist attack on Nov. 13 on Istanbul's crowded Istiklal Street that killed six people and left 81 injured.
The Turkish Defense Ministry said the operation was carried out in line with the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
After the air operation was launched, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also signaled a ground operation in northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate the terrorist threat, adding: "This is not limited to just an air operation."
The president specified northern Syria's YPG-controlled Tal Rifaat, Manbij and Ain al-Arab (Kobani) regions as possible targets to clear of terrorists.
The Turkish leader has threatened a new military operation into northern Syria since May and upped those threats in the wake of this month's attack. Erdoğan has repeatedly called for a 30-kilometer (18-mile) safe zone to protect Türkiye against cross-border attacks from Syrian territory.
"We know the identity, location and track record of the terrorists. We also know very well who patronizes, arms and encourages terrorists," Erdoğan also recently said, referring to the U.S. support for the YPG.
The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the U.S., Türkiye and the European Union, and Washington's support for its Syrian affiliate has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara. The PKK/YPG has controlled much of northeastern Syria after the forces of Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad withdrew in 2012.
The U.S. primarily partnered with PKK/YPG terrorists in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Türkiye strongly opposed the PKK/YPG's presence in northern Syria.
Under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and given truckloads of military support to the PKK/YPG, despite its NATO ally's security concerns. Underlining that one cannot support one terrorist group to defeat another, Türkiye has conducted its counterterrorism operations throughout, removing a significant number of terrorists from the region.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
