Before the deployment of the regime forces in Afrin… the Turkish forces hurry to control the last area enable them to impose their control over the entire northern border line of Afrin with Turkey
The renewed and wide Turkish shelling on Afrin area leaves civilian casualties and wounded
The military operations are still continuing fiercely in Afrin area, where the Turkish forces are continuing to escalate their shelling on the area, as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored shelling which targeted areas in Afrin city by rocket shells, in conjunction with shelling which targeted areas in Basuta village, the towns of Jendires and Sharra, Maabatli village (Mabata), and Kubla area, in the north of Afrin as well as other places in the western section of its countryside, where the shelling resulted in the death of one citizen and the injury of 8 others, in Basuta area, and information about wounded in the shelling that targeted other places in Afrin, amid bombardment by the Turkish warplanes on areas in the vicinity of Maydanki Dam “the 17th of Nisan”, and other places in the northern countryside of Afrin, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored continuation of the violent clashes between the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions against the YPG and the Self-Defense Forces, in areas in the northern and north-eastern sections of Afrin area, and the SOHR learned that the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation managed to achieve important advancement and they took the control of Al-Nabi Hori Castle and other positions in the area, where only one area (Arab Wayran area) remained for the Turkish forces to unite the areas where they advanced in the north and north-east of Afrin, and if the Turkish forces managed to control this area, then, they will impose their control over about 50 km of the northern border line of Afrin, from the area of Jabal Barsaya to the area of Meidan Ekbis in Turkey – Afrin – Iskenderun Border Triangle.
This escalated violent shelling by the Turkish forces and the warplanes, comes within the Turkish forces’ pursue to advance before the deployment of the regime forces in Afrin area and on the contact lines with the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation, while the Turkish forces managed since the 20th of January 2018, to achieve advancement and take the control of Bulbula town and 34 other villages, they are:((Jabal Barsaya – Qastal Jandu, Dikmdash, Yaki Dam, Marsawa and Shaltah in Sharra Township in the north-eastern countryside of Afrin, and the villages of Shenkali, Bekah, Alikar, Za’rah, Balyeh, Qarnah, Bulbula and Abudan in Bulbula Township in the northern countryside of Afrin, Edmanli, Ali Beska, Balelka and Khantilli in Raju Township in the south-western countryside of Afrin, Kanye, Khalilah, Amra, Mamlu Oshagli, Qarrah Baba in Sheikh Hadid Township in the west of Afrin, the villages of Hamam, Mala Khalil, Dayr Ballut, Haj Iskender, Muhammadiyah and Ashka in Jendires Township in the south-western countryside of Afrin, and Diwa Foqani, Jaqla, Kharab Smaq, Hajikanli Foqani, Hajikanli Tahtani, Al-Darwishiyyah)), and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published this afternoon that the logistic preparations are still continuing by the regime forces on one hand, and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) on the other, preparing for the movement of the regime forces towards Afrin, and the deployment of the border guards of the regime forces in the contact areas between the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation and the Kurdish forces in Afrin area, located in the north-western section, within implementation of the agreement reached by the Kurdish forces and the regime forces during the past 24 hours.