Turkish troops have again clashed with fighters of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) on the border with the Kurdish canton of Afrin. The Turkish military also denied killing six YPG fighters in a cross-border artillery attack. A border post was reportedly attacked by the YPG with machinegun fire from Afrin near the Turkish frontier province of Hatay on Thursday and the Turkish military responded with gunfire, CNN Turk reported. The Turkish military also said on Thursday that YPG forces fired on a Turkish border post on Wednesday and they returned fire. Turkish military sources cited by Hurriyet news, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed there is no validity to reports that Turkey killed six YPG fighters and wounded scores of civilians in Afrin during Wednesday’s clashes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights conflict monitor had reported this was the case as had media close to the YPG itself, which claimed on Wednesday that the Turkish Army opened fire on civilians who tried to help wounded YPG fighters. The chief of Afrin Council released a statement on yesterday’s incident, claiming that “not a single bullet was shot (by the YPG) against the Turkish army on the border to this date.” They also warned that continued “Turkish aggression” will be considered as “a provocation and military incitement by the Turkish army to ignite war.”
