Four Turkish soldiers killed by cross-border Kurdish militant attacks

The soldiers died in two seperate incidents

epa06515125 Turkish soldiers salute as Fatma Karaca (back-C), mother of Koray Karaca, a Turkish soldier who was killed in cross-border clashes with Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) forces at Afrin, mourns near by his coffin during a funeral ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey 11 February 2018. The Turkish army is on an operation named 'Operation Olive Branch' in Syria's northern regions against the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) forces which control the city of Afrin. Turkey classifies the YPG as a terrorist organization. At least 32 Turkish soldiers were killed and over 100 were injured during the operation.  EPA/ERDEM SAHIN
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Four Turkish soldiers have been killed and two others wounded in two separate cross-border attacks by Kurdish militants on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said, adding that the army had retaliated in both cases.

One Turkish soldier was killed and another was lightly wounded after an attack by the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in the mainly Kurdish-controlled northern Syrian region of Tel Rifaat, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The attack took place in a region where Turkey carried out a cross-border operation dubbed Euphrates Shield in 2016, aimed at driving ISIS militants and the YPG from its border with Syria, the ministry said.

It said the army had retaliated with artillery fire but gave no further details on the whereabouts of the attack.

Three other Turkish soldiers were killed and another wounded in the southeastern province of Hakkari, which borders northern Iraq, after Kurdish militants shelled the region, the Defence Ministry said in a separate statement.

It said the military had returned fire and launched a cross-border operation in the region backed by fighter jets to destroy the militant targets.

Turkey's military has regularly carried out air strikes against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. It also shelled YPG positions in the Tel Rifaat region earlier this year, saying this was in response to YPG fire.

Tel Rifaat is controlled by Kurdish-led forces and is located some 20 kilometres east of Afrin, which has been under the control of Turkey and its Free Syrian Army (FSA) allies since an operation last year to drive out the YPG.

Turkey, which has long been one of the main backers of rebel groups fighting against Syria's President Bashar Al Assad, has conducted patrols with Russia, one of Assad's main allies, in northern areas under agreements reached last year.

In March, the Defence Ministry said Turkish and Russian forces had carried out the first "independent and coordinated" patrols in Tel Rifaat