Second Turkish Soldier Dies Near Syria's Manbij - Defense Minister

A second Turkish soldier died outside the northern Syrian city of Manbij on Tuesday after their positions came under Kurdish fire, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2019) A second Turkish soldier died outside the northern Syrian city of Manbij on Tuesday after their positions came under Kurdish fire, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.

The Turkish military said earlier that one soldier died and eight others were wounded in the shelling by Kurdish militias, who control the city together with Syrian government forces.

"Artillery and mortar fire from the terrorist positions near the Syrian city of Manbij killed two of our brothers-in-arms," Akar said in a statement.

Turkey launched an offensive last week to free a stretch of the border area from Manbij to the Iraqi border from Kurdish fighters. Once US allies, Kurds reached a deal with the Syrian government over the weekend to get help in repelling the incursion.