Attack on Turkish military transport in Syria leaves 2 dead

An attack on a Turkish military transport vehicle in Syria’s El Bab region left two soldiers martyred, two others injured, and appropriate retaliation has been shown with terrorist targets hit, said Turkey’s Ministry of Defense late Saturday, wishing condolences and speedy recoveries.

The attack on the Kirpi type vehicle – a Turkish military transportation vehicle – that was on its way to a military base area has resulted in two soldiers being killed and two others being injured who have been transferred to a hospital, said the Ministry of Defense.

Terrorist targets in the region were identified and “immediately brought under fire and effectively hit. Our punitive attacks against terrorist positions continue. We did not and will not leave the blood of our martyrs on the ground,” stated the Ministry.

“We wish Allah’s mercy on our martyrs who lost their lives in this incident that has left us with deep pain and sadness, our condolences and patience to their grieving families, the Turkish Armed Forces and our noble nation, and a speedy recovery to our wounded.”

The statement by the Ministry did not specify who the perpetrator was behind the attack, but it is likely that YPG terrorists in the region are responsible.

The YPG/PKK has been attacking the areas liberated by the Turkish army, targeting civilians.

Turkey has on many occasions accused Western countries of turning a blind eye to the YPG’s vicious attacks and blasted certain nations, such as the United States, for supporting the terrorist group.

The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the U.S., Turkey and the European Union, and Washington’s support for its Syrian affiliate has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara.

The U.S. primarily partnered with the YPG in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group, while Turkey has strongly opposed the YPG’s presence in northern Syria. Ankara has long objected to the U.S.’ support for the YPG, a group that poses a threat to Turkey and terrorizes local people, destroying their homes and forcing them to flee.

Under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and given truckloads of military support to the YPG, despite its NATO ally’s security concerns.

Underlining that it is not possible to support one terrorist group to defeat another, Turkey conducted its own counterterrorism operations, over the course of which it has managed to remove a significant number of terrorists from the region.

This article originally appeared in DAILY SABAH on 24 July 2021.