The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish jets and artillery hit the Kurdish-held village of Jub al-Kousa, around 14 kilometres from the Syrian town of Jarabulus near the Turkish border.
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In comments broadcasted by CNN Turkey, Numan Kurtulmus the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister, said Turkey aims to take control of a broad stretch of the border in a bid to protect Turkish citizens staying within the region and as one of the objectives Operation Euphrates Shield.
Turkish news agencies reported early this morning (Sunday) that the military suffered its first fatality since it launched the operation in Northern Syria.
The Aleppo Media Center, an activist group in the city, and volunteers on the scene put the death toll higher at 24.
On Saturday, Turkey sent more tanks to back up the FSA in the battles against the Kurdish-led groups. Ankara considers PYD an affiliate of PKK, which is outlawed in Turkey.
There was no immediate comment from USA officials about the escalation of fighting between the two sides, both of which receive American military support, the WSJ said. YPG is the military arm of the Syrian Kurdish PYD political party. The initial goal of the operation was to clear Jarablus, along the Syria-Turkey border, of Islamic State positions and mop up any fighters that escaped Manbij, which is approximately 20 miles further south.
Turkish-backed militants seized Jarablus from the Daesh Takfiri terrorists on Wednesday, following an incursion by Turkey’s military that involved tanks and special forces supported by U.S. and Turkish fighter jets.
Turkey wants to stop Kurdish forces taking control of a line of territory along its southern border, fearing it could be used by Kurdish militants from the PKK, which has been waging an insurgent war in southeast Turkey for decades.
Ankara says that the YPG has failed to stick to a promise made by its USA allies that the militia would move back east across the Euphrates following the seizure of the town of Manbij from Daesh earlier this month.
Syria state TV is reporting that the evacuation of the Damascus suburb of Daraya following a deal to end a four-year siege and a grueling bombing campaign has been completed.
Hundreds of fighters and their families were bused north into rebel-held territory in Idlib province, with other civilians transferred to government territory near Damascus for resettlement.
Some 700 gunmen and 4,000 civilians were evacuated.
Much of the heaviest fighting this summer has focused on second city Aleppo, which is roughly divided between rebel forces and President Bashar al-Assad’s troops.
At least 35 civilians were killed Sunday by Turkish shelling against a town controlled by Kurdish-led groups in northern Syria, a monitor group reported.
Global powers have been pushing for 48-hour humanitarian ceasefires in the embattled city.
Russian Federation and the U.S. signalled progress towards a deal on a ceasefire at marathon talks in Geneva on Friday.
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The clashes underscore the complexity of the coalition’s campaign to reverse Islamic State’s territorial hold in Syria.
