Turkish security forces have confiscated at least 3.1 kilograms (6.8 pounds) of explosives in northern Syria, near the Turkish border, said the Turkish Interior Ministry on Friday.
Intelligence forces of Türkiye's Syria Task Force in Afrin, working in coordination with police in the southern Turkish province of Hatay, seized 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) of C4 explosive and 1.5 kg (3.4 lb) in Syria's Afrin district, said a ministry statement.
Improvised explosive devises (IEDs) buried in an olive grove in Afrin's Mahmoudiyah neighborhood and ready to explode, were found to have been sent there by the YPG/PKK terrorist group for an attack.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK-listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S., and EU-has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the terror group's Syrian offshoot.
