A Turkish soldier has died of injuries sustained in a rocket attack in northern Syria, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Friday, citing a defense ministry statement.
According to a written statement released by the Turkish Defense Ministry, Spc. Sgt. Ramazan Uçakcı, who was hospitalized after sustaining serious injuries from the attack in the Operation Olive Branch zone on Aug. 23, died on Sept. 9 despite doctors’ attempts to save him.
The ministry wished God’s mercy upon the fallen soldier, also offering condolences and patience to his family, the Turkish Armed Forces and the Turkish nation.
Turkey and its Syrian proxies in January 2018 conducted a cross-border military excursion in Afrin called Operation Olive Branch in an effort to dislodge Kurdish fighters affiliated with the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the main element within the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The Turkish government views the YPG and SDF as extensions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and much of the international community.