Turkish Drones Strike Kurdish Ammo Truck

Turkey’s armed drones struck a Kurdish truck while ammunition and explosives were reportedly being loaded onto the vehicle, on Monday.

“Terrorists of the PKK / PYD-YPG, the infant killers targeting our civilian settlements with mortar shots, were identified by our UAVs while supplying ammunition for new massacres and were destroyed by our Air Forces,” Turkey’s Ministry of Defense tweeted.

Dubbed “Operation Peace Spring,” Turkey began its offensive against US-backed Kurdish militia in north-eastern Syria on October 9, after US President Donald Trump withdrew American troops from the country. So far, the US, France, Germany, Norway, Finland and Netherlands have threatened to freeze all weapons exports to Turkey over Operation Peace Spring.

“A total of 595 PKK / PYD-YPG terrorists have been neutralized in the ongoing operation,” the ministry said today.

Although the type of drone used to hit the truck was not revealed by the ministry, Turkish media reported that ANKA and Bayraktar drones are being used in Operation Peace Spring.

The Bayraktar Tactical Block 2 (TB2) drone was developed by Turkey's Baykar Makina for tactical reconnaissance and surveillance missions. The UAV can also carry ammo, do assaults, and has laser target acquisition. The Bayraktar UAV System has a cruising speed of 70 knots with an operational flight altitude of 24.000 feet, 24 hours of flight time and a communication range of 150 km and has a 12-m wing span, 650-kg maximum take-off weight and a 55-kg payload capacity.

The platform reportedly served for 4,000 hours during Operation Olive Branch, Turkeys’s previous operation in Syria.