First Turkish Soldier Killed in Syrian Campaign

Turkey announced that its army has lost one of its soldiers for the first time during the Syrian campaign, within the territory of that country. Ankara has identified Kurdish militants as responsible for the death of its soldier. Last Wednesday, Turkey entered Syrian territory following air and artillery strikes on Jarablus, a border city previously held by ISIS, during an operation called 'Euphrates Shield.' Since then, attacks have intensified, and Turkish fighter jets bombed positions of Kurdish militants in northern Syria, who are supported by the United States, on Saturday. The Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of mainly Kurdish rebels, had recently taken control of a village near Jarablus with the support of U.S. fighter jets. Turkish media and officials in Ankara have stated that, from their perspective, the Kurdish seizure of areas west of the Euphrates River is considered a 'threat to Turkey's national security,' which is one of the main reasons for Turkey's military presence in Syria. The killed Turkish soldier, whose identity has not been disclosed, is the first military casualty for Turkey in this campaign. According to Anadolu Agency, a rocket fired by the Syrian Democratic Forces targeted a tank, resulting in the death of this Turkish soldier. In response to the rocket launch, the Turkish army targeted the positions of the People's Protection Units (YPG); Anadolu Agency did not provide further details about this attack. Ankara considers the YPG, the most significant military group within the Syrian Democratic Forces, to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The latter is regarded as a terrorist organization by Ankara and other governments, including Tehran and Washington. The Syrian civil war has been ongoing for over five years, resulting in the deaths of between 270,000 and nearly half a million people and displacing half of the country's civilians. Efforts by global powers and their allies to establish peace in the country have not yielded results, although these efforts continue.