The first Turkish soldier died in Operation Source of Peace in northeastern Syria, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.
He specified that this happened on the eve of a clash with “terrorists of the Kurdistan Workers Party – Syrian Kurds Self-Defense Forces” (RPK-YPG).
At the same time, the number of neutralized opponents reached 277, he added.
On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of Operation Source of Peace, directed against the PKK and the Islamic State terrorist group (IS), banned in his country.
On the same day, Turkish aircraft attacked Ras al-Ain, and Tell-Abyad was also attacked. After that, there were reports of the beginning of the ground part of the operation. On Thursday, hostilities continued.
In Damascus, this is regarded as an illegal invasion. Kurds reported dozens of dead and hundreds of wounded.
A number of neighboring states, as well as most EU member states, condemned Ankara’s actions and called for avoiding escalation.
The Americans collaborated with the Kurds withdrew their weapons from the conflict zone. Their recent allies have accused Washington of violating the agreements.
In turn, Turkey claims that they want to end the terrorist threat on their borders, cannot “endlessly” support millions of Syrian refugees and try to open the way for them home.