Kurdish female fighter fires one shot that burns down a Turkish tank
The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) released a video showing the destruction of a Turkish tank in a northern district of the Syrian city of Afrin.
Video shows a female Kurdish fighter using an anti-tank missile (ATGM) to blow up a Turkish tank, according to Sputnik.
In the video, the Turkish tank stands still. The female Kurdish fighter fires a guided missile straight at the target. In a flash, the tank explodes, creating a large column of smoke.
The incident comes just days after a female Kurdish fighter blew herself up in an attempt to halt the advance of Turkish troops in Kurdish-controlled northern Syria.
Turkish Leopard 2A4 tank.
A photo taken by Kurdish forces at the scene shows the tank completely destroyed. Five Turkish soldiers operating the tank were also killed.
According to Lebanese media channel Al Masdar News, the destroyed tank was a German-made Leopard.
Türkiye later confirmed and announced that it was investigating the surprise attack by Kurdish forces.
What remains of a Turkish tank after being hit by a missile.
“We are investigating the deaths of five soldiers. We want to know which country supplied the Kurds with such powerful weapons… But no matter which country supplies weapons to terrorists, they are all the same,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
Since January 20, Türkiye has launched Operation Olive Branch to neutralize Kurdish forces around the city of Afrin. After Afrin, Ankara also wants to attack the city of Manbij, which the Kurdish forces with US support captured from IS terrorists in 2016.
Türkiye considers Syrian Kurds linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to be terrorists. Meanwhile, the US has openly supported the Kurds against IS.