A Turkish soldier succumbed to his wounds at the Gülhane Training and Research Hospital in capital Ankara on Tuesday, according to the Turkish army.

In a written statement, Turkish General Staff said 24-year-old Specialist Corporal Fuat Demir was wounded on March 1 in a clash that killed eight other Turkish soldiers during the ongoing Operation Olive Branch in Syria's Afrin.

On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northwestern Syria.

According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkey's borders and the region as well as to protect Syrians from terrorist oppression and cruelty.

The operation is being carried out under the framework of Turkey's rights based on international law, U.N. Security Council resolutions, its self-defense rights under the U.N. charter, and respect for Syria's territorial integrity, it said.

The military also said only terror targets are being destroyed and that "utmost care" is being taken to avoid harming civilians.