The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

The mad shelling escalates on Jendires in conjunction with the desperate efforts of the Turkish forces to take the control of the 5th town in Afrin area

Aleppo Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the military operations are continuing in Afrin area in the north-western section of Aleppo province, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the continuation of the violent clashes between the Turkish forces backed by their allied Syrian opposition factions within Operation “Olive Branch” against the YPG and the Self-Defense Forces, in the area of Jendires town located in the south-western countryside of Afrin, where the Turkish forces and the factions are fighting desperately to take the control of the town under a cover of intensive aerial and rocket shelling by the Turkish forces and warplanes, and the Syrian Observatory monitored that the Turkish forces managed to advance and take the control of large parts of Jendires town destroyed as a result of the intensive shelling, with the continuation of the violent clashes in an attempt to complete their control over the entire town. On the other hand, the Syrian Observatory documented the death of a citizen woman and 3 of her children as a result of bombardment by warplanes today morning on places in the western countryside of Afrin.

Raising to 199, the number of the Syrian citizens of the Kurds, Arabs and Armenians, including 32 children and 26 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, and the shelling resulted in resulted in the injury of hundreds of citizens with varying severity, and the missing of others, while some of injured cases have permanent disabilities, and the total death toll includes 69 civilian casualties including 6 children and 7 women, who have been killed since the UNSC resolution was issued, while more than 337 others were injured with varying severity, including tens of children and women.

And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published today morning, Thursday, that Jendires town located in the south-western countryside of Afrin, is being shelled intensively by the Turkish forces and warplanes from last night and until now, where this escalation comes after the Turkish forces backed by their allied Syrian opposition factions, failed to advance and take the control of the town, as the violent clashes are still continuing between them against the YPG and the Self-Defense Forces, in the areas of Jendires and Sharan amid desperate efforts by the Turkish forces to take the control of Jendires town, also clashes took place between the both parties in the vicinity of Kafr Janna town and the vanguards camp which the Turkish forces and the factions of “Olive Branch” controlled yesterday, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented more casualties in the ranks of both conflicting parties as a result of the continuation of fighting between them, where 17 members of the factions of “Olive Branch” loyal to the Turkish forces, were killed, in addition to the death of 8 members of the YPG, raising to 391 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 346, the number of fighters of the YPG and the Self-Defense forces who were killed in the shelling and clashes in Afrin countryside, since the start of Operation “Olive Branch” launched on the 20th of January 2018.