Turkish security forces have eliminated 43 members of the PKK terrorist organization's Syrian wing, the YPG, in retaliation for a bombing in the town of al-Bab that killed nine people, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry said the militants had also opened fire on Turkish bases in al-Bab and three others in the region, prompting the response.

The YPG also caused the death of nine civilians while wounding another 30 in a rocket attack on Syria’s northern al-Bab on Wednesday.

Once ruled by Daesh terrorists, al-Bab was liberated in Operation Euphrates Shield, which was carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the Syrian National Army (SNA).

Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield on Aug. 24, 2016, to eliminate the threat posed by Daesh and the YPG/PKK terrorists on Turkey's southern borders.

Following its liberation, most of al-Bab's residents have returned.

Euphrates Shield is one of the three successful counterterrorism operations that Turkey launched since 2016 across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents. The other two are Olive Branch carried out in 2018 and Peace Spring in 2019.