Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that his country is being targeted by armed men in northern Syria, especially from the Manbij and Tal Rifaat regions, pointing to an increase in military attacks against his country's army in those areas.
During a meeting with army commanders in the city of Hakkari on Saturday, Akar confirmed that the Turkish forces responded firmly to the firing positions and targets belonging to the Kurdish People's Protection Units.
The Turkish minister stressed that the Turkish forces will continue "to fight terrorism inside and outside the country until the last terrorist is eliminated and security and safety are established on the Turkish borders."
He added that the Turkish forces have neutralized 1,999 militants in northern Syria and Iraq since the beginning of this year, as well as 277 militants in the framework of the "claw-lock" operation.
On April 18, Turkey launched the "claw-lock" operation against the strongholds of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the areas of Matina, Zab and Afshin-Basyan in northern Iraq.
Since the end of last May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to launch a military operation targeting two towns in northern Syria where Kurdish fighters are deployed, knowing that the United States and Russia have expressed their opposition to this attack.
Ankara classifies the Kurdish People's Protection Units, the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces, as "terrorist", and considers it an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has been waging an insurgency against it for decades, and since 2016, Turkey has carried out 3 military operations in northern Syria against the Kurdish People's Protection Units.