Clashes and aerial bombardment on Afrin and the Turkish artillery injures about 10 people

Aleppo Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: places in Azaz area and other places in Kaljibrin town which are controlled by the rebel factions in the northern countryside of Aleppo; were shelled by the Syria Democratic Forces, which caused material damage but no information about casualties, while a woman was injured in the fall of shell on Atma Camp area adjacent to Afrin area, the shells were launched by the Kurdish Forces, while Afrin area is witnessing the continuation of violent clashes between the rebel and Islamic factions and the Turkish Forces against the Self-Defense Forces and YPG, in places in the countryside of Jendires Township in the southwestern countryside of Afrin, accompanied by Turkish aerial bombardments on the area, amid launching shells and missiles by the Turkish forces, while Afrin area witnessed targeting by the Kurdish Forces for a reconnaissance drone believed to Turkish, it was flying in the sky of the area and was shot down by the Kurdish Forces, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored clashes between both parties in areas in the northern and northeastern countryside of Afrin, in an attempt by “Olive Branch” Operation to achieve an advancement in area, also the Turkish Forces targeted Maabatli area “Mobata”, and the shells landed on oil and olive factory, which wounded about 10 persons.

The Syrian Observatory published yesterday that it monitored that the death toll of those killed in clashes and shelling in Afrin has increased, since the “Olive Branch” operation in Afrin area in the northwestern part of Aleppo province, where it rose to 152, the number of the fighters of the YPG and the Self-Defense forces who were killed in these clashes during 22 days of the military operations, while it has increased to 194, the number of the fighters and soldiers of the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation who were killed in these clashes, including more than 29 soldiers of the Turkish forces including 2 pilots, while the others are fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions, and tens of members of the both parties were injured with varying severity, which may raise the death toll even more, including at least 180, those who were killed since the beginning of change of power balance on the 31st of January 2018. They are at least 20 soldiers of the Turkish forces, while at least 98 fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions operating within the “Olive Branch” Operation Forces, while at least 62 fighters of the YPG were killed in the same military operations in Afrin area. The forces of “Olive Branch” operation managed since the beginning of the operation until now to advance and control Bulbula town and 15 villages, they are: ((Kanye, Khalilah in Sheikh Hadid Township in the west of Afrin, the villages of Mamlu Oshagli, Amra, Ali Beska, Edmanli in Rajo Township in the western countryside of Afrin, Shenkali village in the north-west of Afrin, and the villages of Bekah, Alikar, Abudan, Za’rah, Daru, Qarnah in the northern countryside of Afrin, and Jabal Barsaya – Qastal Jandu in the north-eastern countryside of Afrin)). It is noteworthy that the control of the “Olive Branch” Operation Forces over one town and 15 villages located on the border line between Afrin and Turkey, didn’t prevent the war from changing its balance, where the SOHR monitored that the YPG began an organized operations through directly targeting the positions and vehicles of the Turkish forces and setting up ambushes, and thus the ongoing battles changed from direct confrontations to quick-tactics-based battles, which mostly depend on carrying an attack and quickly withdraw from the targeting position, which opened the door for the Kurdish forces to disperse the attacking forces, causing fears of attacks from an unexpected places, where Afrin area is suit for this kind of operations, in which the SOHR documented that the human losses of the “Olive Branch” Operation Forces exceeded the human losses of the Kurdish forces, while reliable sources asserted to the SOHR that the Turkish forces tended to armor their vehicles to prevent more human losses.