After cutting water, communications and electricity of it by Turkish Forces, Afrin city witnesses a crisis of bread after the bombing put most of its bread shops out of work
Aleppo Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in Afrin area northwest of Aleppo Province, in conjunction with the continuation of the Turkish military operation to control it, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring violent clashes between the Self-Defense Forces and YPG against the rebel and Islamic factions and “Olive Branch” Operation Forces, in areas in the eastern, western and southwestern countryside of Afrin, after which they were able to achieve a new advancement in the area and control 9 villages between Rajo and al-Sheikh Hadid, between Jandairis and Afrin city, and in the eastern countryside of Afrin, at the corridor that is monitored by firearm from the east of Afrin city, the clashes are accompanied by intense aerial and artillery shelling on the clash areas and other places in the countryside of Afrin, amid aerial bombardment on the vicinity of Afrin city, which injured people including a child.
On the humanitarian context, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored tens of civilians lining up on one of the main bread shops in Afrin city, waiting to get bread which started to get scarce in the city as a result of the population density in the city, villages and towns, which are about 90 villages connected to Afrin from the west and northwest of the city, local sources reported that the rest of bread shops are no longer functional after the Turkish shelling on areas in Afrin city since the start of Operation “Olive Branch”, which aims to control Afrin city and all its connected villages, also the area of Afrin located in the north-western section of Aleppo province, is still witnessing continuation of the interruption of water and electricity, after the Turkish forces tended to cut them off after they were able to control a strategic facility, which is Midanki Dam, a Dam that provides wide areas of Afrin with electricity and water, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published that aerial bombardment operations, violent ground clashes and tragic humanitarian conditions are worsening every day, with the Turkish attack narrowing the cycle of death, after more than 1 million persons have gathered in Afrin city and in villages around it, fleeing a death they fear that it may chase them to the place of their displacement, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the Turkish Forces being able to control a strategic facility, which is Midanki Dam, a Dam that provides wide areas of Afrin with electricity and water, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from several reliable sources that the Turkish Forces have cut off the power of Midanki Dam, aka “17 Nisan”, and also cut off the water which added a new human tragedy to the dire humanitarian conditions of hundreds of thousands of people living in Afrin, amid Turkish killing for the inhabitants of the area and the people who displaced to it, following Turkish aerial and ground targeting for telecommunication towers and the cut off of communications in most of Afrin area.
The SOHR obtained a copy of a video shot by a member of “Olive Branch” Operation Forces, in which he said that he is in Al-Shiekh Hadid town, which was confirmed by sourced to the Observatory. The fighter said in this video: “this is the fully liberated Sheikh Hadid free of separatist terrorist, and I urge the brothers and displaced people, who were displaced from Al-Raqqa, Al-Tabqa and other areas controlled by the separatist betrayals, to come and take a house with an olive land”. This video comes after other videos obtained by the SOHR which show fighters of Operation “Olive Branch” threatening the inhabitants of Afrin, directing their message through one of the fighters who said “to the Kurdish infidels, we inform you that if you turn to God in repentance, you have to know that you are our brothers, but if you do not, then we see your heads have been ripe and we have come to pick them up”, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights mentioned that the video is likely to be filmed in the Sheikh Hadid area in the western countryside of Afrin, from one of the villages controlled by Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions. Afrin area has witnessed similar calls from other to settle Syrian people displaced from other provinces inside these villages.
High-resolution link of the map of advancement of the Turkish forces in the countryside of Afrin, and their control of more villages in the area within “Olive Branch” operation, which has been taking place since the 20th of January 2018
