PKK/PYD attacks Turkish forces in Syria’s Idlib

By Burak Karacaoglu

IDLIB, Syria (AA) - PKK/PYD terror group attacked with howitzers the Turkish armed forces' observation point in Idlib on Monday, according to a security official.

No casualties were reported as the Turkish forces retaliated immediately, the official, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media said.

One of the five howitzer attacks hit 100-meter close to the observation point. The others were landed on civil-residences, the official said.

On Oct. 12, the Turkish military started to cross into the region to establish observation points to monitor the cease-fire regime in the Idlib de-escalation zone.

Idlib, which is located in northwestern Syria on the Turkish border, faced intense attacks by the Assad regime after a vicious civil war broke out in 2011.

Since, March 2015, Idlib was no longer under the control of the Assad regime and was dominated by military opposition groups and anti-regime armed organizations.

The PYD and its military YPG wing are Syrian branches of the PKK, which has waged war against Turkey for more than 30 years.

Since the PKK launched its terror campaign in Turkey in 1984, tens of thousands of people have been killed, including more than 1,200 since July 2015 alone.

The U.S. and the coalition have largely ignored the PYD/YPG links to the PKK, which the U.S., EU, and Turkey list as a terrorist group.