ANKARA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Eight Turkish soldiers were killed and 13 others wounded during clashes in northwest Syria's Afrin region, Turkish General Staff said late Thursday.
The death toll, released by the Turkish military in two separate statements, brings the number of Turkish soldiers killed since the launch of "Operation Olive Branch" to at least 40.
Dogan News Agency reported that intense fighting broke out in the afternoon between Turkish special forces units recently deployed in Afrin and People's Protection Units (YPG) militants, who mounted an ambush with the help of tunnels.
According to the report, Turkish army shelled the battle area to allow the evacuation of wounded soldiers.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was informed of the incident during a visit to Senegal.
On Jan. 20, Turkey launched "Operation Olive Branch" to clear YPG militants from Afrin in northwestern Syria, as Ankara considers the YPG as the Syrian affiliates of the PKK, a terrorist organization listed by Turkey, the U.S. and EU.
