The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

After 54 Days of Controlling the Area, Turkish Warplanes Bomb North of Afrin, In Conjunction with Ground Shelling Accompanies A Direct Confrontation Between the Kurdish And Turkish Forces

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored violent clashes between Turkish forces and factions operating within “Olive Branch” Operation against members of YPG, in areas in the northern countryside of Afrin in the northwestern sector of Aleppo Province, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights from several reliable sources: violent clashes took place between the Turkish Forces and the Syrian factions supported by Turkey against a group of fighters of the Kurdish Units, in the Qort Qolag area northeast of Afrin which is about 6 km away of Afrin city, these violent clashes which have been taking place since midnight of yesterday until the dawn of today pushed the Turkish forces to shell the area by artillery shells, amid the flight of Turkish warplanes and reconnaissance drone in the sky of the area, where the warplanes targeted areas of presence of the group of the Kurdish Forces, in conjunction with ground shelling on the area and targeting the Kurdish group site, and the contact with most of the fighters of the group was lost, amid information about casualties in the ranks of the Turkish Forces and the fighters supported by them, also the sources confirmed that a sweep process is being carried out by “Olive Branch” Operation Forces for the targeted place.

These direct clashes between both parties comes after about 54 days of attacks by members and groups of the Kurdish Forces against the Turkish forces and Syrian opposition factions, through mines and IEDs detonations and shoulder-mounted rocket targeting, which killed tens of fighters of the factions and the Turkish Forces during the attacks, which pace has escalated in the last week and caused casualties and injuries in the ranks of both parties, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented an escalation in the number of casualties as a result of the continuation of targeting by YPG groups for the Turkish forces and the factions in Afrin area, where it rose to at least 1523 the number of fighters of YPG and the Self-Defense forces who were killed since Operation “Olive Branch” started, while 578 members and fighters of the Turkish forces and the factions including 83 soldiers of the Turkish forces, were killed in the clashes against the Kurdish Units in Afrin area, and 91 members at least of regime forces’ NDF were killed in the Turkish shelling since they started to enter on the 20th of February 2018.