The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

The Turkish forces carry out an attack on the northern border of Afrin and the warplanes continue their bombardment on the city’s countryside

The escalation of shelling by the Turkish forces and their warplanes are still continuing, with renewing the fighting on the Turkish border with Afrin, and in the details monitored by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights since after the midnight of Saturday – Sunday and until now; the war planes carried out bombardment after the midnight of Saturday – Sunday, targeting areas in Jisr Hashraka, Hajika, Tell Sur, Qarrah Baba, Kafr Bakr and other areas in Raju Township as well as other places in Afrin, while Balyeh area witnessed this morning a violent attack by the Turkish forces, followed by violent clashes between them against the Syria Democratic Forces, in places in Balyeh area located on the Turkish border with the north of Afrin, in an attempt by the Turkish forces to go deep into Afrin area, and the fighting was accompanied by intensive and exchange of targeting in the clash areas between the both patties, followed by bombardment by warplanes on Twil and Balyeh villages, and no information about casualties was reported yet.

 

And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published last night, that it documented the death of 6 citizens including a child under the age of 8, because of the aerial bombardment by the Turkish warplanes, which targeted today areas in Afrin city and other areas in Ayn Daqneh, Biloniyya, Aqbiya, Kerdu, Shikhorzah, Azzawiyyah, Haj Hasna, Kafryeh, Hajika, Blilka and other areas in the Township of Raju, Jendires, Shirawa, and in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation.

 

In the same context, the Turkish missile shelling continues on areas at the outskirts and vicinity of Afrin city and the Townships of Raju and Belbeh, Turkish planes also renewed the bombing on places in Raju area northwest of Aleppo, while the Syrian Observatory documented the death of 7 fighters of YPG today by the Turkish air and missile strikes; and the clashes that took place between both parties in the area, and in the same context, a large demonstration took place in Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) condemning the aerial bombardment of the Turkish warplanes on Afrin and in its countryside snice hours ago, while a new Turkish military column that includes heavy vehicles and soldier carriers Tuesday evening to the Syrian territory, heading towards the contact points with YPG northwest of Aleppo, also shells launched by YPG this evening fell on areas in Azaz city, which is controlled by “Euphrates Shield” Operation Forces.

 

The Syrian Observatory published hours ago that the area witnessed displacements of families from Afrin area, in which some of them arrived the area of Nubl and Al-Zahraa linking Afrin with Aleppo city and considered the only outlet linking between them, 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.