Turkish forces escalate the shelling on Afrin area in conjunction with violent clashes from the northeast of the area to the west of it

Aleppo Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Turkish artillery and rocket shelling continue in places in Afrin area in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored shelling by the Turkish forces targeting places in Jendires Township west of Afrin and in Bulbula Township north of it, and in other areas in the villages of Ikidam, Dier Sawwan, Bafelyoun and Qastal Jandu, which caused material damage, where the Turkish artillery and aerial bombardments and shelling during one week of Operation “Olive Branch” have killed 36 citizens including 10 children and 4 women, they were killed by the Turkish aerial, artillery and rocket shelling on several areas of Afrin located in the north-western countryside of Aleppo, and the number of casualties may increase because of the presence of tens of injuries, some of them have seriously wounded.

This continuous shelling on the Kurdish-controlled area of Afrin was accompanied by violent clashes between the rebel and Islamic factions and the Turkish forces against the forces of Self-Defense and YPG in places in Barsaya area and the Townships of Raju and Jendires in the west and northwest of Afrin, amid exchange of targeting on the clash areas between both parties, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published during the past hours that the Turkish authorities are seeking through mediators, to the reveal the destiny of 7 missing soldiers of their forces, in the “Olive Branch” Operation led by the Turkish forces since the 20th of January 2018, in which the destiny of these 7 soldiers is unknown until now, and it is not known whether they were killed and their bodies remained in the areas of ceasefire between the rebel and Islamic factions and the Turkish forces against the YPG and the Self-Defense forces, or they were lost in the same area without being able to return until now due to the ongoing operations in it.

And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented during a week of the “Olive Branch” Operation led by the Turkish forces with the rebel and Islamic factions, since the 20th of January 2018, and until today the 26th of January 2018, the death of 7 soldiers of the Turkish forces in the clashes and the exchange of targeting, including 4 bodies the YPG still have them, while the operation witnessed the fall of a large number of human losses in the ranks of the rebel and Islamic factions and in the ranks of the YPG, in which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of 53 fighters of the YPG who were killed in these clashes, aerial and artillery shelling and exchange of targeting in the clash areas, and the death of 58 fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions operating within the “Olive Branch” Operation which aims to take the control of Afrin area in the north-western countryside of Aleppo, on the border with Turkey.