Turkey steps up strikes on militants as conflict escalates in Syria

FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises from Syria's Kurdish-controlled northeast city of Qamishli, Syria October 5, 2023. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish security forces attacked Kurdish militants in northern Syria and eastern Turkey, and Ankara said it will continue to destroy their capabilities across the region as conflict escalated on Friday nearly a week after a bomb attack in Ankara.

After U.S. forces shot down a Turkish drone in northern Syria on Thursday, Turkey confirmed the incident but assigned no blame, indicating it may want to contain any tensions with its NATO ally.