Turkish Army Shells Kurds in Northern Syria

World | February 14, 2016, Sunday // 10:50
Bulgaria: Turkish Army Shells Kurds in Northern Syria Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. File photo, EPA/BGNES

Targets of the People's Protection Units (YPG), the armed wing the self-proclaimed Kurdish governing body in Norther Syria, was bombarded by Turkish artillery, a Turkish daily has reported.

H?rriyet Daily News quotes security sources as telling private broadcaster CNNT?rk there were two separate shellings, which were carried out in retaliation to attacks coming from YPG positions.

The YPG was founded in the 2000s by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) of Syria, which Turkey considers a terrorist organization.

Earlier this week, the PYD announced it was opening a representative office in Moscow, amid a rapprochement between Russia and Syrian Kurds that has coincided with the Moscow-Ankara tensions of the past few months.

Earlier, Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country was ready to take military action against the PYD if needed.

Last week a US official visited PYD-controlled areas, sparking anger from Ankara and prompting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan whether Washington sided with Turkey or with the Kurds.

This comes as participants in the 52nd Munich Security Conference, being held from Friday through to Sunday, have been calling for the implementation of a ceasefire agreement to secure a humanitarian pause in some Syrian areas.

According to the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, the "moment of truth" has arrived in the Syrian conflict.

Mogherini said in an interview with the BBC, before attending the conference, that it is time for world leaders to cease hostilities within a week, giving way to humanitarian supplies to the most affected regions.

While US Secretary of State John Kerry insists that Washington will do its best to help usher in an interim ceasefire, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been more skeptical during the Munich conference, casting his doubt on a week-long deadline.

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Tags: Kurds, PYD, YPG, Syria, turkey, Ahmet Davutoglu

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