A new squadron of Turkish warplanes return to carry out the second round of bombardment leaving wounded and violent fighting rages on the northern border of Afrin with Turkey
The Russian forces withdraw their groups from Afrin and transport them to the SDF-held areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo
The Turkish warplanes are still continuing their targeting to areas in Afrin city and its vicinity, as well as other areas in its countryside, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the Turkish warplanes carried out a new round of strikes which targeted Afrin city and its vicinity, in conjunction with raids targeted areas in its vicinity, and the Syrian Observatory learned that 5 warplanes alternated their bombardment on Afrin city and its vicinity, leaving about 10 wounded including children, since they started their bombardment about an hour ago, and some of the wounded are in serious conditions, as well as the injury of soldiers, and the bombardment caused material damage to the property of the citizens, but no information about casualties was reported, and the reliable sources confirmed to the SOHR that one of these warplanes left the skies of the area but the others are still remaining amid the continuation of their targeting to the city, its districts and its vicinity.
These violent clashes are accompanied by intensive artillery and rocket shelling by the Turkish forces on Bulbula Township located on the northern border of Afrin with the Turkish side, amid clashes between the Turkish forces against the Syria Democratic Forces, in areas at the border line north of Afrin, in an attempt by the Turkish forces to advance and storm the area, amid information about human losses in this round of violent fighting between the both parties, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights received information about that the Russian forces had withdrawn their groups and members from Afrin to the SDF-held areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo, after the warplanes took part in the ongoing military operation on its 8th consecutive day.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published today the 20th of January 2018, that violent and successive explosions rocked Afrin area in the north-western section of Aleppo countryside, controlled by the SDF, and the SOHR learned that the strikes were carried out simultaneously by more than 10 warplanes which targeted areas in Afrin city as well as areas in its countryside, where the raids targeted the townships of Raju, Jendires, Sharra Mabta and Shirawa, which caused material damage, and resulted in the fall of a number of wounded who were carried to receive treatment, and these are the first airstrikes carried out by Turkish warplanes on Afrin area and its city, which come with escalating the Turkish shelling for its 8th consecutive day, while the warplanes are flying over the area amid alertness witnessed in the city and fears for the citizens’ lives in the city, its districts and its countryside.