Russian soldiers wounded in northern Syria mine blast

By Mohamad Misto and Ethem Emre Ozcan

HASEKE, Syria/ANKARA (AA) – An unspecified number of Russian soldiers were injured in a land mine explosion in northeastern Syria, local sources said on Wednesday.

The blast occurred while a Russian military group was on patrol in Dirbasiyya in al-Hasakah province, an area occupied by the YPG/PKK terror group.

The injured soldiers were admitted for treatment at a local health center, the sources said.

Pictures of the injured personnel were shared on social media accounts linked to the to the YPG/PKK terror group.

Fadil Hammad, head of the Assad regime’s media office in al-Hasakah, also confirmed the mine blast in a post on social media.

Russian authorities are yet to comment on the incident.

- Russian presence in region

Russian forces took over some bases evacuated by US soldiers in northern Syria after Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring against the YPG/PKK terror group in October 2019.

Moscow has since strengthened its presence by increasing its number of bases in YPG/PKK-occupied regions east of the Euphrates.

Russia has a total of 18 bases and hundreds of elements at military points in areas occupied by YPG/PKK terrorists in the provinces of al-Hasakah, Raqqa, and the districts of Manbij and Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) in Aleppo.

* Writing by Seda Sevencan