Turkey's defense minister reports on killed in Afrin

Turkey's Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said five Turkish soldiers and 24 allied Syrian opposition force members have been killed so far in the cross-border offensive in the northwest Syrian enclave of Afrin.

Addressing parliament today, Canikli denied reports of civilian deaths in the offensive, saying there had been "no civilian losses originating from the Turkish Armed Forces" or the Syrian opposition fighters, ABC News reported.

Turkey's military earlier said its offensive in the enclave of Afrin, launched January 20, is against "terrorists" and does not target civilians or historic, religious or cultural structures and relics in the area.