Turkey’s government has claimed that at least 40 people have been killed in an attack in a crowded market in the Syrian city of Afrin, which included 11 children.
The governor of Hatay, a neighbouring province, stated that the deaths were trigged due to a fuel tanker exploding due to a hand grenade. Turkey has placed blame on the Kurdish separatist militant group, the YPG.
Turkey maintains strong opposition to the YPG which they claim is an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has banned by Turkey and designated a terrorist organisation. The YPG and PKK deny this affiliation.
The YPG has been an effective ally for the US in the region in their struggle against the ISIL. The YPG has not issued a comment regarding the attack.
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