YPG terrorists, the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist organization, in northern Syria’s Tel Rifaat region are laying mines amid the mounting possibility of a counterterrorism operation by the Syrian opposition and Turkish military.
According to the information obtained by an Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent from local sources, YPG/PKK terrorists have enhanced the efforts to strengthen the front lines in the intersection of Azaz and Mare, controlled by the Syrian National Army (SNA), and in Tel Rifaat, which is controlled by YPG/PKK terrorists.
A large number of mines were delivered to the terrorists from four Russian-made ZIL military vehicles, which arrived at the YPG/PKK headquarters around Menagh Airport on Nov. 3.
The terrorists started laying anti-personnel and anti-tank mines in the west of the Tel Rıfat district, which is about 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the Turkish border.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in October that Ankara was determined to eliminate threats originating in northern Syria and that a YPG terrorist attack that killed two Turkish police officers was "the final straw."
Turkish forces have launched three operations in the last five years, securing hundreds of kilometers of the border strip and pushing around 30 kilometers into northern Syria.
Russian jets, Iran-backed fighters, Turkish-supported opposition groups, United States troops and Syrian regime forces also operate across the patchwork of territories in northern Syria, as well as the YPG.
Despite its NATO ally Turkey's major security concerns, the U.S. views the YPG as a key ally in the fight against Daesh in northeast Syria. Russia has forces in the area to support the Assad regime.
