Russian Defence Ministry official representative general Igor Konashenkov makes an official statement for the media in Russian Defence Ministry in Moscow, Russia, 20 October 2016. Igor Konashenkov reported provided to the media detailed information, taken from Russian radars concerning the flight and airstrike of a pair of Belgian F-16 fighters. According to this information two Belgian combat jets F-16 took off 18 October from Jordanian airbase and after two-hours patrol flight receiving additional fuel from US flying tanker dropped bombs of Kurdish village Khassajek near Aleppo. Six residents of the village were killed during the airstrike. (Photo: SERGEI CHIRIKOV, EPA)

Up to 200 militia members were killed in air strikes in Aleppo province in Syria where Kurdish-led forces have been advancing against Islamic State militants, Turkish media reported Thursday.

The Turkish General Staff said between 160 and 200 members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its affiliate, the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), died in the bombings, according to the semi-official Anadolu news agency.

However, Commander Mahmoud Barkhadan of the People’s Protection Unit — the main Syrian Kurdish militia — told the Associated Press that early reports suggested that no more than 10 fighters were killed and 20 wounded.

The Turkish military did not give a location but the group is trying to take the key city of Al-Bab, located about 23 miles northeast of Aleppo, as the Islamic State withdraws. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and the United States.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2evj9pk </s> ISTANBUL/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkish air strikes pounded a group of Kurdish fighters allied to a U.S.-backed militia in northern Syria overnight, highlighting the conflicting agendas of NATO members Ankara and Washington in an increasingly complex battlefield.

A man walks past damaged buildings in the rebel held besieged al-Sukkari neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

The jets targeted positions of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in three villages, northeast of the city of Aleppo, that the SDF had captured from Islamic State, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said late on Wednesday.

The Turkish military confirmed its warplanes had carried out 26 strikes on areas recently taken by the Kurdish YPG militia, the strongest force in the SDF, and that it had killed between 160 and 200 combatants.

The British-based Observatory monitoring group reported a much lower toll of at least 14 dead and dozens wounded. Officials of the Kurdish-led administration that controls much of northeastern Syria said dozens had been killed.

Complicating matters further, Syria’s military called the strikes by Turkey an act of “blatant aggression” and said it would bring down any Turkish war planes entering Syrian air space.

A senior U.S. defence official said the groups struck by Turkish jets were not themselves U.S.-backed but were “close to and friendly with” the fighters Washington is working with.

Asked in the light of the air strikes whether he was concerned the U.S. alliance with Turkey was unravelling, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told a news conference at the Pentagon:

“With respect to Turkey, our partnership is very strong in the counter-ISIL campaign.” ISIL is an acronym for Islamic State. “We’re working with the Turks now very successfully to help them secure their border area,” added Carter, who was due to visit Turkey on Friday.

The United States has backed the Kurdish-led forces in their fight against Islamic State, infuriating Ankara, which sees the YPG as an extension of Kurdish PKK militants who have waged a three-decade insurgency in southeastern Turkey.

Turkey fears the YPG will try to connect three de facto autonomous Kurdish cantons that have emerged during the five-year war to create a Kurdish-run enclave in northern Syria, stoking the separatist ambitions of Kurds on its own soil.

Five shells fired from the YPG-controlled Afrin region of Syria, west of where the air strikes hit, landed in empty land in Turkey’s Hatay province on Thursday, triggering retaliatory howitzer fire from Turkey, the Turkish military said.

The Turkish army bombarded villages near Afrin overnight, the pro-Kurdish Anha news agency said. Footage purportedly showed smoke billowing out from the Syrian side of the border. Anha said there were casualties from the shelling by what it described as at least 44 howitzers.

The Turkish army also said 21 PKK militants had been killed in operations in Hakkari province in Turkey’s southeast, where violence has flared since the PKK abandoned a ceasefire in 2015.

“WE WILL NOT WAIT”

The air strikes, the heaviest against the YPG since Turkey launched a military incursion into Syria two months ago, came hours after President Tayyip Erdogan warned that Ankara could act alone in rooting out its enemies abroad.

“From now on we will not wait for problems to come knocking on our door, we will not wait until the blade is against our bone and skin, we will not wait for terrorist organisations to come and attack us,” Erdogan said in a speech on Wednesday.

The Observatory named the bombed villages as al-Hasiya, Um al-Qura and Um Hosh. They lie around 30 km (19 miles) west of al-Bab, the last big town held by Islamic State militants in northwest Syria after a series of battlefield reverses.

Turkey, a major backer of the insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad, entered the Syrian conflict in August, using its armour and air power to help Free Syrian Army rebel groups take territory near the border held by Islamic State.

But its intervention also aimed to prevent the SDF from gaining more ground. The SDF has been moving eastwards towards al-Bab, which Turkish-backed rebel forces also want to capture from Islamic State.

The Turkish military said its air strikes had destroyed nine buildings, one armoured vehicle and four other vehicles that belonged to the YPG. </s> The Syrian Democratic Forces have downed a Turkish helicopter in the Syrian city of Afrin, an SDF representative told Sputnik Saturday.Earlier this day, the SDF reported that the group's militia had downed two Turkish reconnaissance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in the village of Adama, northern Syria.The group also engaged in skirmishes with a Turkish convoy in the Chia district of Afrin and with Turkish forces, supported by the Free Syrian Army, in Qastal Ma'af.Kurdish militia has downed two Turkish reconnaissance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in the village of Adama, northern Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) media center reported Saturday.Beyond that, the media center stated that the SDF also attacked a Turkish military convoy in the Chia district, killing two Turkish soldiers.According to the report, Turkey continues to bomb Afrin, especially the districts of Jabal Bafalon and Chia. The SDF, in their turn, are repelling the attacks of the Turkish forces, supported by the Free Syrian Army, on Qastal Ma'af, which is a strategically important point, and have managed to destroy an armored vehicle.Turkey has been conducting the Olive Branch military operation in the Kurdish-dominated Syrian town of Afrin since January 20. The town is controlled by the US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which is considered to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist group by Turkey and several other countries. According to Ankara, the offensive is not aimed against the Syrian government; the latter, however, described the operation as a violation of Syria's sovereignty. </s> BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes struck pro-Syrian government forces in the northwestern Afrin region of Syria on Saturday, killing at least 36 of them, as Turkey’s assault in the Kurdish region gathered pace, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The pro-Syrian government forces entered Afrin last week in support of the Kurdish YPG militia, the stated target of the operation launched by Turkey and allied Syrian rebel fighters in January.

The Observatory said the air strike, which hit a camp in Kafr Jina, marked the third time in 48 hours that Turkish warplanes had struck pro-government forces in Afrin.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a YPG-led militia alliance, said in a statement that Turkish air strikes had targeted positions held by the Syrian army’s“popular forces” from 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) until 10 a.m. (0800 GMT).

It did not say where or give a death toll.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his country’s forces had captured the town of Rajo from militants. The Observatory said the Turkish army was in control of about 70 percent of the town, about 25 km (16 miles) northwest of Afrin city.

The SDF statement said a group of Turkish forces and allied Syrian factions had infiltrated Rajo, where it said clashes were continuing between SDF forces and the attackers.

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey and is deemed a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and Turkey. The YPG has been an important ally for the United States in the fight against Islamic State. </s> ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s state-run news agency says Turkish jets have struck 18 Syrian Kurdish militia targets north of the Syrian city of the embattled city of Aleppo, killing as many as 200.

Anadolu Agency says Thursday the raids targeted the Maarraat Umm Hawsh region in northern Syria. The agency said between 160 and 200 militia fighters were killed in the raid.

It says the air strikes took place late Wednesday night.

The United States considers the militia group, known as the People’s Protection Units or YPG, to be the most effect force in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria. Turkey says the group is an extension of its own outlawed Kurdish militants who have carried out a series of deadly attacks in Turkey over the past year. </s> Turkish and US-led coalition fighter jets have carried out bombing raids against ISIL positions near Syria's al-Bab, a town held by ISIL and besieged by Turkey-backed Syrian rebels for almost two months, according to a Turkish military statement.

A total of 47 ISIL (also known as ISIS) fighters were "neutralised" in clashes and air raids in the past 24 hours, the statement said, adding that buildings, defence posts, shelters and an ammunition depot were destroyed in raids.

The Turkish army also hit 135 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant targets in northern Syria, the General Staff said in a statement.

Turkish jets destroyed 64 targets, including 45 buildings, three bomb-laden vehicles and five headquarters used by the armed groups in the region around al-Bab, according to the statement.

There was no immediate response from ISIL.

Turkey first sent tanks across the border on August 24 as part of the operation Euphrates Shield. Four days later, the Turkish army suffered its first fatality in northern Syria, in a rocket attack blamed on Kurdish militias.

The city is in a strategic area, close to the Turkish border in northern Syria en route to Raqqa and Idlib. Al-Bab is one of the few remaining strongholds of ISIL.

If it takes Al-Bab, the Turkish military says its next objective is to clear the whole area and retake the town of Manbij from the SDF, a largely Kurdish militia.

More than 215 residential areas, including Jarablus city in northern Syria, have been cleared of ISIL as part of the Euphrates Shield operation so far, according to the Turkish military. </s> Turkish planes bombed Kurdish fighters in Iraq’s Sinjar region and northeast Syria on Tuesday, killing at least 20 in a widening campaign against groups linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

A Turkish military statement said about 70 militants were killed in the operations inside the two neighbouring states.

The air strikes in Syria targeted the YPG, a key component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are backed by the US and have been closing in on the Islamic State bastion of Raqqa.

The Turkish raids showed the challenges facing US-led attempts to defeat Islamic State, also known as Isis, in Syria and risk increasing tension between Nato allies Washington and Ankara over Kurdish combatants who have been crucial in driving back the jihadists.

A US military officer accompanied YPG commanders on a tour of the sites hit near Syria’s frontier with Turkey later on Tuesday, a Reuters witness said, demonstrating the close partnership.

The YPG said in a statement its headquarters in Mount Karachok near Syria’s frontier with Turkey had been hit, including a media centre, a local radio station, communications facilities and military institutions.

“As a result of the barbaric strikes by the Turkish warplanes at dawn today against the YPG centre . . . 20 fighters were martyred and 18 others wounded, three of them critically,” said spokesman Redur Xelil.

Ilham Ahmed, a senior Kurdish politician who co-chairs the political wing of the SDF, said they wanted the US to provide aerial protection against Turkey.

The Turkish military said the two regions it struck around 2am (11pm GMT) had become “terror hubs” and the aim of the bombardment was to prevent the PKK sending weapons and explosives for attacks inside Turkey.

Designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and the European Union, the PKK has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state for Kurdish autonomy. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, most of them Kurds.

Turkish security sources said 13 PKK militants had been killed on Tuesday in operations backed by the air force in the largely Kurdish southeast of Turkey. Two Turkish soldiers were also killed when a roadside handmade bomb planted by the PKK blew up in Sirnak province.

Turkey has regularly bombed the mountainous border area between Iraq and Turkey where PKK militants are based since a ceasefire broke down in July 2015. But Tuesday’s raid was the first time Turkish forces have targeted its affiliate in the northwestern Sinjar area.

The PKK established a presence in Sinjar, bordering Syria, after coming to the aid of its Yazidi population when Islamic State militants overran the area in the summer of 2014 and killed and captured thousands of members of the minority faith.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will not allow Sinjar, around 115km (70 miles) from the Turkish border, to become a “new Qandil”, referring to a PKK stronghold in Iraq near the borders with Turkey and Iran.

The presence of a PKK affiliate in Sinjar is also rejected by Kurdish authorities who run their own autonomous region in northern Iraq and enjoy good relations with Turkey.

Five members of Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces, which are also deployed in Sinjar, were killed, and nine wounded in one of the Turkish air strikes, according to the peshmerga ministry, apparently by accident.

It called the attack “unacceptable” but blamed the PKK for being there and demanded the group withdraw from Sinjar. </s> related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

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Turkish planes bombed Kurdish fighters in Iraq's Sinjar region and northeast Syria on Tuesday, killing at least 20 in a widening campaign against groups linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party.

ISTANBUL/BEIRUT: Turkish planes bombed Kurdish fighters in Iraq's Sinjar region and northeast Syria on Tuesday, killing at least 20 in a widening campaign against groups linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party.

A Turkish military statement said around 70 militants were killed in the operations inside the two neighbouring states.

The air strikes in Syria targeted the YPG, a key component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are backed by the United States and have been closing in on the Islamic State bastion of Raqqa.

The Turkish raids showed the challenges facing U.S.-led attempts to defeat Islamic State in Syria and risk increasing tension between NATO allies Washington and Ankara over Kurdish combatants who have been crucial in driving back the jihadists.

In Washington, the State Department said it was deeply concerned by the air strikes, which were not authorized by the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Turkey is part of the coalition of more than 60 countries.

"We have expressed those concerns with the government of Turkey directly," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters on a conference call. "These air strikes were not approved by the coalition and led to the unfortunate loss of life of our partner forces," he added.

Toner said the strikes hurt the coalition's efforts to go after the militants. "We recognise their concerns about the PKK, but these kinds of actions frankly harm the coalition's efforts to go after ISIS and frankly harm our partners on the ground who are conducting that fight."

A U.S. military officer accompanied YPG commanders on a tour of the sites hit near Syria's frontier with Turkey later on Tuesday, a Reuters witness said, demonstrating the close partnership.

The YPG said in a statement its headquarters in Mount Karachok near Syria's frontier with Turkey had been hit, including a media centre, a radio station, communications facilities and military institutions.

"As a result of the barbaric strikes by the Turkish warplanes at dawn today against the YPG centre ... 20 fighters were martyred and 18 others wounded, three of them critically," said spokesman Redur Xelil.

Ilham Ahmed, a senior Kurdish politician who co-chairs the political wing of the SDF, said they wanted the United States to provide aerial protection against Turkey.

The Turkish military said the two regions it struck around 2 a.m. (2300 GMT) had become "terror hubs" and the aim of the bombardment was to prevent the PKK sending weapons and explosives for attacks inside Turkey.

Designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, the PKK has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state for Kurdish autonomy. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, most of them Kurds.

Turkish security sources said 13 PKK militants had been killed on Tuesday in operations backed by the air force in the largely Kurdish southeast of Turkey. Two Turkish soldiers were also killed when a roadside bomb planted by the PKK blew up in Sirnak province.

Turkey has regularly bombed the mountainous border area between Iraq and Turkey where PKK militants are based since a ceasefire broke down in July 2015. But Tuesday's raid was the first time Turkish forces have targeted its affiliate in the northwestern Sinjar area.

The PKK established a presence in Sinjar, bordering Syria, after coming to the aid of its Yazidi population when Islamic State militants overran the area in the summer of 2014 and killed and captured thousands of members of the minority faith.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said he will not allow Sinjar, around 115 km (70 miles) from the Turkish border, to become a "new Qandil", referring to a PKK stronghold in Iraq near the borders with Turkey and Iran.

The presence of a PKK affiliate in Sinjar is also rejected by Kurdish authorities who run their own autonomous region in northern Iraq and enjoy good relations with Turkey.

Five members of Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces, which are also deployed in Sinjar, were killed, and nine wounded in one of the Turkish air strikes, according to the peshmerga ministry, apparently by accident.

It called the attack "unacceptable" but blamed the PKK for being there and demanded the group withdraw from Sinjar. </s> Out of all major settlements in the region, only the town of Afrin remains under control of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the Daily Sabah newspaper reported.

Meantime, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reported that the Turkish artillery shelling and airstrikes in Syria's Afrin have resulted in 165 civilian victims over six weeks.

"According to the official statistics of the health authorities, 165 civilians were killed, including 28 women and 32 children in Turkish artillery shelling and airstrikes. Moreover, 650 civilians were injured, including 93 women and 87 children," the statement said.

According to the statement, 283 SDF members were killed during the operation.

"A total of 1588 members of terrorist groups and Turkish soldiers were killed… Our forces destroyed 96 armored vehicles belonging to the Turkish invasion army and terrorist groups, including tanks and armored cars," the SDF said.

Turkish troops have lost 42 officers since the operation's beginning, according to the Turkish General Staff.

READ MORE: Turkey Announces Preliminary End Date of Olive Branch Op in Afrin

On January 20, Ankara, jointly with the opposition Free Syrian Army forces, launched Operation Olive Branch in Afrin in order to "clear" Turkey's Syrian border from the terrorist threat. Turkey considers the PYD, a Kurdish political party in northern Syria, as well as the YPG militia, to be linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization in Turkey and several other countries. Damascus has condemned the operation as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia
Turkish jets hit Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia with 26 airstrikes in three recently-captured-from-ISIL villages west of al-Bab and northeast of Aleppo. The Turkish General Staff says between 160 and 200 have been killed, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports 11 dead and dozens of people wounded.