Turkey says it killed 58 Kurdish militants in northern Syria

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

ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish forces have killed 58 Kurdish militants in northern Syria in overnight attacks on militant targets, the Defence Ministry said on Saturday, as conflict in the region escalated nearly a week after a bomb attack in Ankara.

Turkey this week said all targets belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia were "legitimate targets" for its forces, after the PKK claimed responsibility for Sunday's bombing in Ankara which wounded two police officers and killed the two attackers.