Russian-made Anti-tank Weapon Suspected in Attack on Turkish Tank

The Turkish security sources have claimed that the anti-tank weaponry used in the attack against a Turkish army tank on Saturday could be a Russian-made 9M113 Konkurs.

The claim is being evaluated. The wire-guided, optical sight trained semi-automatic anti-tank missile system was developed by the Soviet Union and has been dubbed the “At-5 Spandrel” by NATO circles, Hurriyet reported quoting unnamed security sources as saying Monday.

Five soldiers were killed in the attack when militants targeted the Turkish army tank.

“They will pay for this twice as much. We instantly gave the necessary response, and we continue to do so,” Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said on Feb. 3.

Immediately after the attack at Sheikh Haruz, an air operation targeting shelters, hideouts and weapon emplacements in the area was launched at 5.52 p.m. local time.

A total of eight Turkish soldiers were killed on Feb. 3 during “Operation Olive Branch,” according to a Turkish General Staff statement that marked the deadliest day yet for the Turkish Army since the operation into Syria’s Afrin district began on Jan. 20.

The statement said one soldier was killed in clashes with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the other in Turkey’s southern province of Kilis in an attack perpetrated by the YPG.