Ankara, Jun 15 (IANS): At least 41 members of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) were killed by Turkish forces in retaliation for YPG's harassing fires, Turkey's Defence Ministry said.

Turkish security forces "neutralised" 41 YPG members in Syria's Tal Rifat and Manbij regions, bringing the total number of "neutralised" YPG members to 53 since Sunday, the Ministry said on Wednesday in a statement.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralised" to imply that "terrorists" are killed, wounded, or captured in security operations.

The Defence Ministry said on Sunday that the YPG carried out simultaneous mortar and rocket harassment fires on the Operation Euphrates Shield zone of the Turkish army in northern Syria, as well as the Oncupinar police border posts in the southern Turkish province of Kilis, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Turkish army has been attacking the YPG posts in retaliation since the weekend.

The army launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 in northern Syria as part of the efforts to create a YPG-free zone along its border in the neighbouring country.

Turkey sees the YPG group as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than 30 years.