The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

2 columns of the forces affiliated to the regime force enter Afrin and the forces of “Olive Branch” Operation forces advance and two pockets of 12 km separate them from controlling the border line of Afrin with Turkey

Aleppo province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights:: The SOHR monitored the entry of a second column of the forces affiliated to the regime forces into Afrin areas following the entry of the first column yesterday the 20th of February 2018, within the implantation of the agreement of the YPG and the regime forces. Reliable sources stressed to the SOHR that the forces affiliated to the regime forces were deployed on the fronts and contact lines with “Olive Branch” Operation Forces, while clashes are taking place between the Kurdish forces against the rebel and Islamic factions and the Turkish forces in areas in the northeastern, northwestern and southwestern countryside of Afrin, and the “Olive Branch” Operation forces managed to advance in the area and control more new 4 villages and reach the outskirts of Maydanki Lake north of Afrin, and thus they managed to control 53 villages and one town, which is Bulbola town, which is more than 15% of the villages of Afrin.

The SOHR also monitored the attempt of the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions operating in the area to link their areas of control north of Afrin with their areas of control in western part of Afrin, where only two pockets separate the Turkish forces and the factions from linking their areas of control with each other. The first pocket is located in Midan Ekbes area in the far northwest of Afrin (about 5 km long) and the other pocket is located between Jandayras area and Sheikh Hadeed (about 7 km long). If the “Olive Branch” operation forces managed to control these two pockets, they would be able to control about 150 km along the borders of Afrin and Turkey and Afrin and Iskenderun, expanding their areas of control on the border line to about 260 km extending from the western banks of the Euphrates River near Jarabulus area to Atma area in the southwest of Afrin.