UPDATE - YPG/PKK attack martyrs 2 Turkish soldiers in NE Syria

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT BY INTERIOR MINISTRY; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK; CHANGES THROUGHOUT

By Esref Musa, Omer Koparan, and Muhammed Ali Toruntay

RAS AL-AYN, Syria /ANKARA (AA) - At least two Turkish gendarmerie personnel were martyred and eight others injured in a bomb attack carried out by YPG/PKK terrorists in northeastern Syria, according to Turkish authorities on Thursday.

The terrorists detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at one of the checkpoints of the Syrian National Army in Ras al-Ayn district, said a statement by the governor’s office in the southeastern Sanliurfa province.

Eight Turkish soldiers were also injured in the attack, the Interior Ministry said.

The ministry said the attack took place at around 03.25 p.m. local time (1325 GMT).

Ras al-Ayn was liberated from YPG/PKK terrorists last October as part of Turkey's Operation Peace Spring. It was launched to secure Turkey's borders by eliminating the terror group from northern Syria, east of the Euphrates River, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees, and ensure Syria's territorial integrity.

The terrorists, however, continue attacks in Ras al-Ayn, and the nearby city of Tal Abyad despite their withdrawal from the border area following negotiations between US and Turkey on Oct. 17, 2019.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is PKK's Syrian offshoot.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz and Sena Guler