Turkish army says 1 killed in north Syria amid shaky truce

ISTANBUL – Turkey’s army says an attack by Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria has killed one of its personnel and wounded five others, bringing Turkey’s military death toll to 11 since the launch of its operation.

In a tweet Sunday, the military said the attack occurred near the border town of Ras al-Ayn where its forces were conducting reconnaissance. The area falls within a 30 kilometres (19 miles) deep border zone Kurdish forces are withdrawing from, under a U.S.-backed cease-fire.

Despite that ceasefire and a second brokered by Russia, occasional skirmishes have continued. The Turkish military said its forces responded “within the framework of self-defence” to the rockets, mortars and heavy machine-gun attack.

A 150-hour truce brokered by Russia, allowing Syrian Kurdish fighters to complete their withdrawal, runs out Tuesday evening.