The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

The Turkish warplanes carry out a massacre leaving 13 civilian casualties in Jendires town amid desperate efforts by the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation to control it

Aleppo Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: Afrin area in the north-western section of Aleppo province, ongoing targeting by the Turkish forces to villages and towns in its countryside, within Operation “Olive Branch” continuing since the 20th of January 2018, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the Turkish warplanes carried out a massacre in Jendires town which they targeted by several strikes, which resulted in the death of 13 citizens at least including 2 children and 3 women, while others injured with varying severity, which may raise the death toll due to the presence of injured cases in serious conditions, in addition to the presence of missing people whose destiny is unknown, where Jendires town, its vicinity and its countryside, have been witnessing since dawn, intensive airstrikes by the Turkish forces which are seeking to take the control of the town which is located in the south-western countryside of Afrin, and which the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation reached its outskirts.

And with the death of more citizens, the death toll has increased to 165 Syrian citizens of the Kurds, Arabs and Armenians, including 29 children and 24 women, 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, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the continuation of the violent clashes between the YPG and the Self-Defense Forces against the rebel and Islamic factions and the Turkish forces, in areas in the outskirts of Jendires town in the south-western countryside of Afrin, and in Sharra Township in the north-eastern of Afrin, which resulted in advancement by the Turkish forces in heights in Sharra area, in an attempt by the Turkish forces to tighten the grip on Afrin city and approach it even more, and expand their control at the expense of the Kurdish forces, while the Syrian Observatory documented until today morning, Monday the 5th of March 2018, that the Turkish forces and the factions have controlled 96 villages and towns including 2 towns (Raju and Bulbula), since Operation “Olive Branch” started on the 20th of January 2018, which equivalent to about 28% of the total towns and villages of Afrin, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday that these accelerated control operations came after the entry of the regime forces’ National Defense Forces (NDF) to Afrin area, since the 20th of February 2018, where since the mentioned date until the 4th of March 2018; the Turkish Forces and the factions have taken control of more than what they have controlled during the first month of their operations, where the number of areas that have been controlled by Operation “Olive Branch” since the entry of NDF is 49 villages and the town of Rajo, the Turkish forces were also able to enter Sheikh Hadid town and became at the outskirts of Jendires town in the southwestern countryside of Afrin, and the vicinity of Sharra town in the northeastern countryside of Afrin, along with controlling more than half of Midanki lake aka “17 Nisan” lake, and reaching an area about 12 km away of the important city of Afrin, where this period witnessed the death of at least 58 members of regime forces’ NDF, where they entered earlier in an agreement between the Kurdish Forces and the regime forces, which allows forces of the latter to be deployed in Afrin area, which is witnessing an attack by Turkish Forces and opposing Syrian factions, while it rose to 334 including 68 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, while it rose to 302, the number of fighters of the YPG and the Self-Defense forces who were killed in the shelling and clashes in Afrin countryside, also hundreds of citizens, fighters and soldiers were injured with different severity, some of them have permanent disabilities.