Turkish warplanes strike YPG targets in Syria's Afrin

Turkish warplanes resumed strikes on YPG targets in Syria's Afrin region on Friday after a five-day lull that followed the shooting down of Russian warplane elsewhere in Syria, Anadolu Agency reported.

Turkey had halted air strikes as Russia worked on its air defence system after Syrian opposition fighters shot down a Russian warplane in Idlib province on Februry 3. 

Turkish warplanes hit at least six targets in air strikes that began around midnight. There was no information regarding casualties or the outcome of the strikes.

According to an Anadolu Agency, the Turkish Armed Forces hit six PYD/PKK targets during air operations including Mount Baflune, southwestern of Mount Bursaya which is under the control of Turkish Armed Forces and Free Syrian Army units (FSA).

Turkey launched an air and ground offensive in Afrin on January 20 targeting the YPG, which it views as a terrorist wing of the PKK that has waged a three-decade insurgency on Turkish soil. 

The PKK is recognised as a terrorist organisation by a number of countries and international bodies including Turkey, the United States and the European Union.  

Amnesty for ex-Daesh militias

But on Thursday, Russia's top diplomat at the UN said that the SDF last month released 400 Daesh militants while separately inducting 120 of them into their ranks.

Vassily Nebenzia told a Security Council meeting on threats to international peace that those pardoned by "the authorities of Syrian Kurdistan" included field commanders and "caliphate officials".

One hundred and twenty of those who were granted amnesty entered the ranks of the US-backed SDF umbrella group, according to Nebenzia.

"The fact that such an issue remains virtually unnoticed serves as a testament to a persistent double standard with respect to terrorists," Nebenzia said.

"All those who delivered direct or indirect assistance to ISIL [Daesh], not to mention the fighters themselves, must be held to account."

Nebenzia was referring to the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant', another name for Daesh.

The comments come after the US clashed with forces allied to the Bashar al Assad regime overnight Wednesday in eastern Syria. 

Russia is the Syrian regime's main ally on the ground in Syria and in the international arena, frequently using its permanent seat on the Security Council to provide Damascus with diplomatic cover within the international community.

Nebenzia slammed the US, saying Moscow sees an "intensification" of efforts aimed at "defaming" Russia's efforts to achieve a political settlement.

"As soon as we have some progress on the political front, we see this intensification all the time," he said.

British Daesh militants captured

Meanwhile, two British Daesh militants known for their role in the torture and killings of Western hostages were captured by SDF, US officials said on Thursday.

The men were the last of a group of four militants known as the "Beatles," for their English accents, to remain at large.

The two, whose capture was first reported by the New York Times, were identified as Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh.