A suspect with links to PKK terrorist group's Syrian branch People's Protection Units (YPG) was captured in southeastern Turkey's Gaziantep province, the official Anadolu Agency said Wednesday.
The counter-terrorism branch of the provincial gendarmerie forces captured the suspect identified as A.A. in a raid on a house belonging to the suspect, located in Kepenk neighborhood of Şahinbey district.
Investigations revealed that the 25-year-old suspect was involved in terrorist activities in Syria's Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobane, which is currently controlled by the terrorist group.
The suspect was later arrested by the court.
Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) conducted two successful operations in northern Syria with the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Launched in August 2016, TSK backed-FSA captured bordering Jarablus, al-Rai and al-Bab districts from the Daesh terrorist group in Operation Euphrates Shield, while they also cleared the Afrin district from the YPG in Operation Olive Branch launched in January 2018.
The YPG dominates the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is backed by the U.S.-led coalition under the pretext of fighting against Daesh and controls swaths of Syria east of the Euphrates River.
Turkey has long signaled an operation on YPG-held areas east of the Euphrates, as Ankara sees the presence of the U.S.-backed group as a threat to its national security.
The YPG terrorists, which occupy a 480-kilometer (298-mile) area on the Turkey-Syria border, recently increased their activities against a possible offensive with the construction of trenches and barricades.
