Fighting renews in Afrin between factions operating within the Turkish-backed operation of the “Olive Branch”
Aleppo Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the eruption of violent clashes inside Afrin city which is controlled by the factions of the Turkish-backed operation of the “Olive Branch”, between fighters of al-Jabha al-Shamiyyah against fighters of al-Mu’tasim Division, which resulted in the fall of human losses in the ranks of the both parties, as a part of renewing the fighting between them which started 11 days ago, where the Syrian Observatory published on the 27th of June 2018, that Afrin city which is located in the northwest countryside of Aleppo, is witnessing tension between the factions of “Olive Branch” Operation, who control Afrin city and its countryside under the command of the Turkish Forces, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights: a disagreement between took place between al-Mu’tasim Brigade and al-Jabha al-Shamiyyah inside Afrin city, and it turned into fight and clashes between both parties using machineguns, and according to sources of the Syrian Observatory; the cause of clashes was a disagreement over a military checkpoint, and the fight turned into clashes using heavy machineguns and grenades near Kawa roundabout in al-Ashrafieh area inside Afrin city, which caused casualties, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documenting the death of at least 1 member of the factions and the injury of about 10 others with varying severity.
The Syrian Observatory published 15 days ago that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the renew of clashes in Afrin city northwest of Aleppo, between fighters of faction working in the area within “Olive Branch” Operation which is supported by Turkey, where clashes took place after midnight of yesterday in the city between members from “al-Sultan Mohammad al-Fatih” brigade; against members of “Ahrar al-Sharqiyyah”, accompanied by intense exchange of targeting between both parties which caused casualties among both of them, where the Turkish armored vehicles intervened to break up the clash which causes remain unknown until now, also Ahrar al-Sharqiyyah faction announced that it dismissed 2 of its battalions due to failure to comply with orders of the Assembly’s command; according to a statement the Syrian Observatory received a copy of, and the Syrian Observatory published on the 1st of June 2018 that Afrin city located in the northwestern sector of Aleppo province witnessed the return of clashes between fighters of factions operating in the area, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: violent clashes took place between fighters of al-Shamiyyah Front against fighters of an Arabian clan from the northeastern countryside of Aleppo during the last night, amid accusations by al-Shamiyyah Front for the Arab clan fighters of being loyal to the Kurdish Forces. Reliable sources confirmed that the clashes were accompanied by intensive exchange of targeting in the city between both parties, which caused casualties among the civilian and fighters of both parties, where the sources confirmed to the Observatory that at least 4 people were died due to their injuries in this fight, while al-Shamiyyah Front was able to capture fighters of the other party’s fighters, amid attempts by the other factions in the city and by the Turkish military police to control the situation
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 28th of May 2018 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored clashes by individual weapons after midnight of yesterday, between two rebel factions of “Olive Branch” Operation in Afrin city in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo, and in details obtained by the Syrian Observatory: the clashes took place near Kawa roundabout In Afrin city, between a group of al-Hamzah Division and a group of al-Mu’tasim Division, against the backdrop of a disagreement between both groups about the takeover of a residential houses in the area, followed by an intervention by the Turkish forces with their armor and breaking the dispute between both parties, but no information about casualties, and in the same context, the commander of the brigade “al-Shahid Mash’aal Tammo” survived an assassination attempt on the road of Afrin – Sharan after midnight of yesterday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also published on the 25th of May 2018 that Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the sound of heavy gunfire in the area of Al-Villat today evening, Friday the 25th of May 2018, where the sound of gunfire was heard with alertness and great noise in the area where the headquarters of the rebel and Islamic factions operating within Operation “Olive Branch” are located, in Al-Villat area in Afrin city, after that, a column of the Turkish forces’ vehicles headed to the area of the gunshot, and sources suggested that the sound of the gunfire was caused as a result of new fighting between the factions controlling Afrin city, and the gunfire has seriously injured a child, where the Syrian Observatory obtained information two days ago from a number of reliable sources, about fighting started between a Kurdish faction operating within Operation “Olive Branch” against Jaysh Ahrar al-Sharqiyyah of which most of its fighters are from Deir Ezzor Province, led to exchange of fire which resulted in the fall of wounded in the ranks of the both parties, followed by intervention of the military police, which turned into a confrontation between Ahrar al-Sharqiyyah against the Turkish police, which pushed the latter to bring reinforcements to control the situation and security chaos in Afrin city which was caused by this fighting, where the city is still witnessing a state of security alertness and sound of sporadic shooting every now and then.
And the Syrian Observatory published on the 25th of March 2018, that it monitored clashes taking place between two Syrian opposition factions operating within the Turkish-led “Olive Branch” Operation, which began on the 20th of January 2018, to control Afrin area, and in the detail obtained by the SOHR from several reliable sources, a violent clashes took place between fighters of Ahrar Al-Sharkia faction, whose fighters mostly come from Deir Ezzor province, against Al-Hamzat battalion, which includes fighters from Aleppo countryside, and the fighting took place in Afrin city, after Ahrar al-Sharkia accused Al-Hamzat battalion of looting Afrin city based on orders from western parties, to defame the “Olive Branch” Operation, as Hamzat battalion was close to the SDF and was supported by the US before joining the Turkish-backed forces, and the SOHR learned at that time from several reliable sources that the violent clashes took place between both parties in Afrin city killed 3 fighters of Ahrar Al-Sharqkia, one of them is a leader, in addition to the death of 3 other fighters of Al-Hamzat battalion, while several others were injured. Ahrar Al-Sharkia received orders from the Turkish military command of “Olive Branch” Operation to arrest the fighters of Al-Hamzat village, and the faction has arrested at least 130 fighters of Al-Hamzat battalion. The clashes also expanded in positions of the presence of both factions in Al-Ra’ey and Al-Bab, where clashes and exchange of attacks took place between both parties, resulted in the death of a fighters of Ahrar Al-Sharkia in Al-Raeey, while information was reported about the death of a civilian who was injured in the fighting in the city located in the northern countryside of Aleppo, and these clashes taking place between the factions of “Olive Branch” operation come a week after the first clashes took place between two groups that controlled Afrin against the background of looting of Afrin and its countryside, where several reliable sources confirmed to the SOHR that most of the factions and military forces took part in it. The looting was carried out by few fighters of the factions. They looted food, cars, and agriculture vehicles, and electronic devices, electricity generators, public and private properties in the city since the control over the city of Afrin on the 18th of March 2018. citizens confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that these forces tend to continue their thefts and looting to everything they would find in the citizens’ houses and public institutions and facilities, and the citizens asserted that their mobile phones, cars, tractors, motorbikes and electronic sets and equipment were looted, and reliable sources said that their houses were looted of all their contents of equipment, machineries and supplies, and the citizens also asserted that the humanitarian aid was organizationally distributed in front of the media in the cameras, while behind the cameras and in the scattered and remote villages in Afrin countryside, these humanitarian aid was sold at high prices to merchants and shop owners, who also tended to sell them for the citizens at double prices of those which the foodstuff was purchased at, and the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation are continuing to interrupt electricity and water to the most of Afrin areas.