The death of 15 members of the Turkish forces raises to about 60 the number of their casualties were killed during 6 weeks of clashes in Afrin area
About 750 citizens, fighters and soldiers were killed and hundreds were injured and the Turkish forces are in control of more than 80 villages and towns in 6 weeks of Operation “Olive Branch”
The military operation in Afrin area in the north-western section of Aleppo province, has completed its 6th consecutive week, since the Turkish declaration about Operation “Olive Branch” on the 20th of January 2018, though which the Turkish forces aim to take the control of Afrin area, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored during the past few hours, that the Turkish aerial and artillery shelling escalated on areas in Afrin countryside, where the shelling targeted areas in Sharra Township north east of Afrin, in conjunction with Turkish shelling which targeted Maabatli (Mabata) countryside, in the north-west of Afrin, and the artillery shelling resulted in the death of a citizen raising to 143 including 27 children and 20 women, the number of people who were killed in the Turkish aerial, rocket and artillery shelling, and executions carried out against citizens in Afrin area, since the 20th of January 2018, while hundreds others were injured with varying severity, some of them have permanent disabilities.
This shelling accompanied by airstrikes which targeted positions of the regime forces “the Popular Defense Forces”, in areas in Afrin countryside, which resulted in the death of at least 14 members of them raising to at least 18 members of these forces, who have been killed since they entered Afrin area on the 20th of February 2018, where they entered within an earlier agreement between the Kurdish forces and the regime forces which allows the latter’s forces to deploy in Afrin area which is witnessing an attack by the Turkish forces and Syrian opposition factions operating with them within the operation.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of 15 members at least of the Turkish forces during counter attacks by the Kurdish forces, which were accompanied by destroying vehicles and targeting to positions and locations, as well as clashes took place between the both parties in areas in the western and northern sections of Afrin countryside, raising to 272, the number of fighters of the YPG and the Self-Defense forces who were killed in the shelling and clashes in Afrin countryside, also 2 member of the regime forces were killed in the shelling and clashes in Afrin, while it rose to 307 including 59 soldiers of the Turkish forces, the number of the members and fighters of the Turkish forces and the factions who were killed in the clashes against the Kurdish Units in Afrin area, also hundreds of citizens, fighters and soldiers were injured with different severity, some of them have permanent disabilities.
And the Turkish forces managed during the past few hours, to control a new village in Raju Township which is witnessing violent clashes between the Turkish forces and the factions against the Kurdish forces, in an attempt by each party to advance at the expense of the other, raising to 80 villages and only one town (Bulbula), with a percentage of about 23% 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 after the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation managed to achieve strategic advancement four days ago, and linked the controlled areas of the factions and the Turkish forces operating in the “Euphrates Shield” Operation in the northern and the north-eastern countryside of Aleppo, Idlib province and the western countryside of Aleppo, through a border line stretched from the north and west of Afrin, and reaches areas mentioned above, thus, the Turkish forces became in control of about 140 km of the border line of Afrin with Turkey and Iskenderun, expanding their border control to about 250 connected kilometers from the western bank of the Euphrates River near Jarabulus area to Atma area in Idlib countryside on the border with Afrin.