Since the entry of the regime’s columns to Afrin…escalation of the Turkish aerial and ground shelling…wide advancement by the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation and escalation of casualties
During 5 days of the entry of the regime’s columns to Afrin… the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation advance in a quarter of the total villages they have controlled since the start of the operation in Afrin
Aleppo Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: Afrin area located in the north-western section of Aleppo province, is witnessing continuation of the Turkish aerial and artillery shelling, in conjunction with the military operations through which the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation are seeking to advance even more into Afrin area which is controlled by the Kurdish Units, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored today morning, Saturday the 24th of February 2018, that the warplanes carried out raids on places in Afrin area, in conjunction with Turkish rocket and artillery shelling on several areas, where the Turkish warplanes targeted areas in Jendires town in the south-western countryside of Afrin, and other places in Sharra Township in the north-eastern countryside of Afrin, accompanied by shelling on villages related to Maabatli area (Mabata), in the north-west of Afrin city, in addition to shelling which targeted areas in the townships of Sharra and Jendires, which resulted in the death of a child and the injury of about 5 other citizens, raising to 130 including 25 children and 19 women, the number of people who were killed in the Turkish aerial and artillery shelling, shooting and executions carried by the factions and the Turkish forces in Afrin area; since the 20th of January 2018, while hundreds others were injured with varying severity.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also monitored violent clashes between the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions against the YPG and the Self-Defense Forces, in areas in the north-western countryside of Afrin, and in other areas in Jendires Township, where the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation advanced and expanded their control to 63 villages and only one town (Bulbula), with a percentage of 18% of the total villages of Afrin, and the Turkish forces managed to reach the outskirts of the strategic towns of Jendires and Raju, and only few hundreds of meters remain for them to reach Jendires town, and the clashes are accompanied by intensive exchange of targeting in the clash areas between the both parties.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the pace of the Turkish aerial and artillery shelling on Afrin area, increased after forces of the regime started to enter it on the 20th of February 2018, following an agreement between the Kurdish forces and the regime forces, where Afrin area witnessed tens of airstrikes and shelling by hundreds of rocket and artillery shells, which targeted the townships of Jendires, Sheikh Hadid, Raju, Maabatli, Bulbula, Sharra, Afrin city and other places in the area, while the Turkish forces managed to achieve wide advancement, where they have taken the control of 17 villages at least since the forces of the regime entered Afrin, which equals more than a quarter of the total areas the Turkish forces have controlled, since the start of Operation “Olive Branch” during its first month, and the SOHR also documented more human losses in the ranks of the both parties, where it has increased to 243, the number of fighters of the YPG and the Self-Defense forces who were killed in the shelling and clashes in Afrin countryside, while it rose to 259 including 40 soldiers of the Turkish forces, the number of the members and fighters of the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation who were killed in the clashes against the Kurdish Units in Afrin city, also hundreds of citizens, fighters and soldiers were injured with different severity, some of them have permanent disabilities.
the SOHR also monitored the attempt of the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions operating in the area to link their areas of control north of Afrin with their areas of control in western part of Afrin, where only two pockets separate the Turkish forces and the factions from linking their areas of control with each other. The first pocket is located in Midan Ekbes area in the far northwest of Afrin (about 5 km long) and the other pocket is located between Jandayras area and Sheikh Hadeed (about 7 km long). If the “Olive Branch” operation forces managed to control these two pockets, they would be able to control about 150 km along the borders of Afrin and Turkey and Afrin and Iskenderun, expanding their areas of control on the border line to about 260 km extending from the western banks of the Euphrates River near Jarabulus area to Atma area in the southwest of Afrin.