Afrin battles continue violently and the Turkish forces managed to advance and heavy shelling on it raises the death toll of civilians to at least 78

Violent battles and military operations are still taking place in Afrin area located in the northwestern part of Aleppo province, where the SOHR monitored shelling by the Turkish forces targeting places in Afrin area, where the Turkish artillery and missiles shelling targeted areas in the southwestern, western and northwestern countryside of Afrin, in conjunction with shelling on its northern and northeastern countryside, where the shelling on Mamli village in Raju district northwest of Afrin, resulted in the death of a citizens, and there is information about others injured, and the Turkish shelling also targeted a factor on the road between Afrin city and Jandayras town, causing material damage. thus, the death toll of the Syrian citizens of the Kurds, Arabs and Armenians has increased to 78 including 21 children and 15 citizen women, who are documented by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights since the 20th of January 2018, while tens others were injured with varying severity, and no information about human losses.

Meanwhile, the violent clashes are continuing between the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions against the YPG and the Self-Defense Forces, in areas in western part of Afrin, where the clashes are concentrated in the countryside of Jandyaras, sheikh Hadeed, Raju, amid violent attack by the “Olive Branch” Operation forces, which managed to  advance in the area and expand their areas of control in Afrin countryside after they managed to take control of one town and 24 villages with a percentage of 7% of the total villages of Afrin, as they controlled Bulbula town and 23 villages, they are: ((Jabal Barsaya – Qastal Jandu and Dikmdash in Sharra Township in the north-eastern countryside of Afrin, and the villages of Shenkali, Bekah, Alikar, Za’rah, Balyeh, Qarnah, Bulbula and Abudan in Bulbula Township in the northern countryside of Afrin, Edmanli, Ali Beska and Balelka in Raju Township in the south-western countryside of Afrin, Kanye, Khalilah, Amra, Mamlu Oshagli in Sheikh Hadid Township in the west of Afrin, the villages of Hamam, Mala Khalil, Dayr Ballut, Haj Iskender, Muhammadiyah and Ashka in Jendires Township in the south-western countryside of Afrin)).

The ongoing battles, aerial and artillery shelling and exchange of targeting resulted in more human losses, where it rose to 168, the number of the fighters of the YPG and the Self-Defense forces who were killed in these clashes during 24 days of the military operations, while it has increased to 215, the number of the fighters and soldiers of the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation who were killed in these clashes, including more than 34 casualties of the Turkish forces including 2 pilots, while the others are fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions, and tens of members of the both parties were injured with varying severity, which may raise the death toll even more, including at least 223, those who were killed since the beginning of change of power balance on the 31st of January 2018. They are at least 25 soldiers of the Turkish forces, while at least 120 fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions operating within the “Olive Branch” Operation Forces, while at least 78 fighters of the YPG were killed in the operations and clashes witnessed during the past 2 weeks in Afrin area.