Rocket attack on Turkish tanks in Syria kills soldier

According to reports, the attack came from members of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party

One Turkish soldier was killed and three more wounded on Sunday in a rocket attack by Kurdish militia on two tanks taking part in Turkey's military offensive in northern Syria, state media said.

The dead soldier -- who has not been identified -- is the first confirmed Turkish fatality of Turkey's unprecedented operation in northern Syria which began on Wednesday and has so far proceeded with lightning pace.

The rocket fire came from members of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Anadolu said. Turkey considers the PYD and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to be terror organisations, even though they are backed by Ankara's ally the United States as effective anti-jihadist fighting forces in Syria.

Anadolu said that the Turkish army responded to the rocket attack by shelling PYD targets in Syria, without giving further details.

The tanks were hit in the area of the Syrian town of Jarabulus, which Turkish forces helped pro-Ankara rebels seize from jihadists on Wednesday, the Dogan news agency said.

Turkey has warned that its offensive in Syria is targeted against the Kurdish militia as well as Islamic State (IS) jihadists, warning the YPG to retreat from its recent advances.

Earlier, activists had reported the first fighting between the Kurdish forces and Turkish tanks inside Syria since Ankara began its offensive.

Turkey now has dozens of tanks and hundreds of soldiers on the ground in Syria and is ready to send more, media reports have said.