A bombing hits Afrin city center killing and injuring about 20 persons including citizens followed by a shelling targeted the areas where the YPG are deployed in Aleppo countryside

Aleppo Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: a violent explosion was heard in the center of Afrin city, near the area of Nowruz roundabout in the city which is located in the north-western sector of Aleppo countryside, and the information was conflicting whether the explosion was caused by detonating a booby trapped vehicle or detonating an IED planted in a vehicle, which resulted in the injury of more than 16 persons including several citizens, and confirmed information about the death of 2 persons at least as a result of the bombing, and the death toll is expected to increase due to the presence of injured cases in serious conditions, while explosions rocked areas in the southern countryside of Afrin, intersected sources said that they were caused by shelling which targeted the areas of Bashmara and Kundi Mazin which are located within the areas where the YPG and the militiamen loyal to the regime forces are deployed in both northern and north-western countryside of Aleppo.

This shelling which the sources suggested to be carried out by the Turkish forces and the factions backed by them, comes in the wake of the fall of casualties less than 24 hours ago, of fighters of the factions including 3 fighters were killed among them a commander in a rebel Corps, where the fighters were killed and injured during clashes and as a result of being targeted while they were heading to support the factions in the vicinity of Fafertin and Burj Haidar in the north-western countryside of Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory also monitored that cells of the YPG carried out targeting operations against members and fighters in Afrin countryside, where they were assassinated and killed, raising at least 108, the number of attacks which targeted the forces controlling Afrin area, who continue to prevent civilians from returning from the northern countryside of Aleppo towards their towns, villages, and residences, while leading sources of the YPG denied that their forces or cells had relation or responsibility for many of the assassinations and acts of torture; some of which appeared on videos and attributed to the Kurdish Forces, and the sources accused other cells belong to other parties of carrying out these assassinations and attributing them to the Kurdish Forces for their own agenda, the main aim of which is to escalating their violations against the civilians, where the resentment has been increasing among the civilians day after day, with the unfair and unjust procedures, and the silence of the Turkish Forces -who are leading the “Olive Branch” operation- and not responding to their complaints, the SOHR has also published that “Olive Branch” Operation Forces continue without being stopped to carry out their violations, and no military, “Sharia,” or political party is stopping them in Afrin area. The violations take the form of looting citizens’ money, seizing their property, looting and seizing their homes, collecting royalties from farm owners and commercial property owners, and from people travelling between cities, towns, and villages of Afrin area, as well as arresting citizens in Afrin city on a daily basis, through which the factions are trying to secure funds paid as ransom in exchange for the release of the detainees, where the reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that during the last week the “Olive Branch” has arrested tens of civilians and detained them in their detentions, then they contacted their relatives in order to pay ransom for them to be released, where they arrest them after fabricating charges of collaborating with and belonging to the Kurdish Forces and other charges, through which “Olive Branch” operation forces seek to intimidate the people and force them to pay money, royalties and ransom to members of these factions.