Afrin witness violent battles since the beginning of “Olive Branch” and the Turkish forces advance against with the Turkish-backed factions in the area
The SOHR learned that violent clashes are still ongoing between the SDF against the rebel and Islamic factions and the Turkish forces, in areas in the countryside of Afrin at the border of Turkey, and in the details obtained by the SOHR, the clashes are the most violent since the beginning of “Olive Branch” on the 20th of January 2018, and the forces of the operation led by Turkish forces managed to advance in the area and control the hill of Sheikh Khoraz in the northern countryside of Afrin on the northern borders with Turkey, after they controlled Bersaiya hill, and sources confirmed to the SOHR that violent clashes accompanying heavy shelling are ongoing between the SDF against the Turkish forces and the factions, causing human losses in the ranks of both parties and there is information about more captives from both parties.
The clashes are still taking place violently along with artillery and missile shelling by the Turkish forces, in conjunction with an exchange of targeting on the clash area, amid aerial shelling by Turkish warplanes after they returned to carry out raids on places in Afrin area.
The SOHR published hours ago that reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the rebel and Islamic factions operating within the “Olive Branch” Operation backed by the Turkish forces started an attack from the northern border of Afrin with Turkey, on Barsaya Highland, located in the far north-east of the controlled areas of the Syria Democratic forces in Afrin, at a distance of 2 km from Azzaz city in the northern countryside of Aleppo, where a camp of the SDF used to be presented before they withdrew from it earlier, in which they managed to advance and take the control of the Highland adjacent the Syrian – Turkish border, and the Turkish forces accused the SDF of targeting Kilis from Barsaya Highland, and the clashes were accompanied by shelling by the Turkish forces and exchange of targeting in the clash areas between the both parties, and information about confirmed human losses in the ranks of the both parties, and this attack comes after the Turkish forces and the factions backed by them, failed to advance in areas in the west and the north of Afrin, and a round of clashes took place today at dawn of Monday the 22nd of January 2018, between the SDF against the fighters of the Turkish-backed factions, in Kafr Khasher area, where a fighter of a rebel brigade operating in the area was killed.