Raju Township and the clash in Afrin areas witness hit-and-run clashes and more casualties raise the number of the fighters of YPG and the factions and the Turkish soldiers who were killed to about 130

Aleppo Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the intensive artillery shelling is continuing in conjunction with the continuation of the violent fighting in Afrin area in the north-western section of Aleppo countryside, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the continuation of the violent clashes in Ali Baska village and in other areas in Raju Township as well as areas in Bulbula Township between the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions against the YPG and the Self-Defense forces, amid hit-and-run clashes, exchange of control, advancement and withdrawal between the both parties, in several positions, as each party tries to achieve advancement at the expense of the other, while the clashes between the both parties are accompanied by intensive exchange of targeting amid shelling on the clash areas, which left more human losses in the ranks of the both parties, in which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented that the number of the fighters who were killed has increased to 59 fighters of the YPG and the Self-Defense forces, while it has increased to 69 at least, the number of the fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions operating within the “Olive Branch” Operation, including 7 soldiers of the Turkish forces who have been killed in the clashes since the 20th of January 2018, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information about the presence of more casualties in the ranks of the both parties, which may raise the death toll, while the factions captured today a fighter of the YPG in the clashes which took places in Raju Township.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also monitored that the Turkish forces are continuing their shelling on areas in Afrin countryside, where the shelling is concentrated on the townships of Bulbula and Jendires, which caused more material damage, and left injuries, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented during a week of the “Olive Branch” Operation, the death of 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.