Türkiye’s military “neutralized” 53 Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, using ground artillery and drones in retaliatory strikes following an attack on a police post on the Turkish side of the border at the weekend, the defense ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry typically uses the term “neutralized” to describe killed and wounded. The latest strikes targeted the fighters hideouts in the Manbij and Tal Rifaat regions, Reuters said.

Türkiye has previously launched military incursions in Syria against the Kurdish YPG group, regarding it as a wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Türkiye, the United States and the European Union designate as a terrorist group.

The United States has allied with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded by the YPG, in the fight against ISIS in Syria, causing a deep rift with Türkiye.