With the continuation of the Turkish strikes and the violent fighting in Afrin…the checkpoints of the regime forces prevent thousands of displaced people from Afrin to reach the YPG-held areas in Aleppo city
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the return of the warplanes to target several areas in Afrin countryside, in conjunction with the continuation of the violent clashes in it, between the Syria Democratic Forces against the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions backed by them, in the north, the west, the north-west and the north-east of Afrin, amid the continuation of the attempts by the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation to achieve advancement in the area ant take the control of more areas in it, amid exchange of targeting between the both parties in the clash areas, in conjunction with the continuation of artillery and rocket shelling by the Turkish forces on places in Afrin area in the north-western section of Aleppo, and primary information about more human losses as a result of the exchange of shelling and the clashes which are concentrated in areas in the townships of Bulbula, Raju, Jendires, Qastal Jendo and Shiah in the west and the north of Afrin, on the border with Turkey and Iskenderun.
In the same context, several reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that Afrin area with its cities, villages and townships witnessed a mass displacement of thousands of citizens, who wanted to go away from the places of combat operations and flee from death, killing and ongoing shelling by the Turkish warplanes and the rocket and artillery shelling, which resulted in the death of 22 civilians at least in Afrin area including 6 children and a woman, who have been killed since 20 January 2018, and the sources confirmed that the checkpoints of Bashkuy and Duwayr Al-Zaytun as well as the checkpoints of the 4th division at the Industrial area in Sheikh Najjar, prevent the displaced people to reach their homes and their relatives’ homes in the controlled areas on the Kurdish units (YPG) in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsood and Al-Ashrafiyah in Aleppo city.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published this morning that it monitored the continuation of the violent clashes between the Syria Democratic Forces against the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions operating with them within the “Olive Branch” Operation, in areas in Raju, Hamam, Balyeh, Qarna, other areas in Jendires Township, the vicinity of Barsaya Highland, and Qastal Jendo on the northern border of Afrin with Turkey and on the western border with Iskenderun, as a result of the renewed attack of the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation, in conjunction with the continuation of the rocket and artillery shelling by the Turkish forces on places in Afrin city, amid the flight of Turkish warplanes over Afrin, and the Turkish forces try to advance in the area and take the control of border villages in it enables it to go deep into the area.