The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

10 days of violent clashes and intensive aerial and artillery shelling on Afrin kill about 220 persons including 55 civilian casualties of the Kurds, Arabs and Armenians

Aleppo Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Turkish warplanes carried out renewed raids targeting areas in the north-east of Afrin area, in the north-western countryside of Aleppo, where the strikes targeted areas in Arab Wayran and Dakmidash villages, in conjunction with ongoing shelling by the Turkish forces by artillery shells and missiles on areas in Afrin countryside, amid continuation of the clashes in areas in Raju and Jendires Townships in the western section of Afrin countryside, between the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions against the YPG and the Self-Defense forces, while the clashes coincide with exchange of targeting between the both parties.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented during 10 successive days the fall of a large number of casualties of citizens and fighters, in which the SOHR has documented since the start of the “Olive Branch” Operation on the 20th of January 2018, the death of 55 Syrian citizens of the Kurds, Arabs and Armenians including 17 children and 10 citizen women, who were killed in the Turkish aerial, artillery and rocket shelling on Afrin city, the villages of Koblah, Kaljiba and Maryamin, Maabatli town, and other villages and areas in the northern and the western countryside of Afrin, and the increased number of the civilian casualties was accompanied by increasing the number of casualties in the ranks of the conflicted parties, which are the YPG on one hand, and the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation on the other, who have been killed since the 20th of January 2018, until after the midnight of Sunday – Monday, where it has increased to 78, the number of the fighters of the YPG and the Self-Defense forces who were killed in the clashes and the aerial and artillery shelling, including a female fighter was killed during carrying out an attack by grenades and heavy machineguns on a heavy vehicle of the Turkish army and its allies in Hamam village, while it has increased to 85 at least, the number of the members of the “Olive Branch” Operation who were killed during the same period in the clashes, the exchange of shelling and detonating vehicles, including 9 soldiers of the Turkish forces, where the YPG still have 4 bodies of them, and the clashes between them resulted in the fall of tens of injuries, captives and missing people in the ranks of the both parties.

And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published few hours ago, that it monitored that the Turkish forces started short time ago, intensive artillery shelling on Jendires town an nearby villages, areas and hills, in the western and the south-western countryside of Afrin city, in conjunction with shelling on the far north-east of Afrin in conjunction with clashes in areas in Jendires Township, and the vicinity of Qastal Jendo and Jabal Barsaya between the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions against the YPG and the Self-Defense forces, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also monitored that airstrikes have been targeting since after the midnight of Sunday – Monday, places in the vicinity of Maydanki Dam “the 17th Nisan Dam”, which is located about 10 km to the left of Afrin city, amid fears of targeting the Dam and destroying it by the Turkish warplanes which target it for the third time in 10 days of the “Olive Branch” Operation announced by Turkey against Afrin, and the Syrian Observatory also monitored raids targeting Kadah village in Raju Township west of Afrin, the villages of Turmish and Khalila in Sheikh Hadid Township, the villages of Burj Suleiman, Deir Mishmish, Koblah, Burj Hayder and another village in Shirawa Township, and Baqja village in Bulbula Township, amid the continuation of warplanes to fly over Afrin city and its countryside, and the airstrikes caused more damage to the property of the citizens, and information was reported about injuries due to the bombardment.