MOSCOW – An F-16 fighter jet of the Turkish Air Force crashed in centralTurkey, the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces said.

“An F-16 aircraft deployed in the region for training crashed in theprovince of Nevsehir,” the general staff said on Twitter.

The general staff later said that the pilot was killed in the crash. Thesearch and rescue party sent to the area discovered the wreck of the planelink>, as well as thepilot’s body.

Turkish fighter jets have been conducting airstrikes against YPGlink> targets in theSyrian city of Afrin, within the framework of Ankara’s military operation.

Local media reported that a number of F-16 jets from the Turkish Air Forcecarried out airstrikes on six targets in Afrin, while the Turkish ArmedForces simultaneously shelled the area from Kilis province, which bordersSyria.