Turkish forces enter the Syrian city of Afrin and control parts of it

Today, Sunday, Turkish forces and the Syrian factions loyal to them entered the city of Afrin, which has a Kurdish majority in northern Syria, and took control of its neighborhoods as part of the military operation that has been ongoing for about two months, according to what the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said, “Clashes are currently taking place in the city, where Turkish forces and factions loyal to them have taken control of neighborhoods,” noting that “violent bombardment has targeted the city since Wednesday afternoon.” The Syrian factions loyal to Ankara announced in a statement on Sunday morning their “incursion into the city of Afrin from the eastern and western axes” and taking control of the Ashrafieh and Jamiliyeh neighborhoods. In the city of Afrin, a resident told Agence France-Presse that the remaining civilians were hiding in the basements, and hearing the sounds of gunfire outside. The Turkish attack pushed tens of thousands to flee the city of Afrin. The Syrian Observatory reported that more than 200,000 civilians had been displaced from the city since Wednesday evening alone, most of whom headed to areas controlled by Syrian regime forces in northern Aleppo. This progress comes within the framework of the ongoing military operation that Turkey and the Syrian factions loyal to it began on January 20, and Ankara says it targets the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, which it classifies as a “terrorist” group. Turkish forces controlled large areas of the border area before encircling the city and entering it. The Kurdish fighters, who proved effective in fighting the ISIS terrorist gangs, fought violent battles with the Turkish forces and factions loyal to them, but this is the first time they have been subjected to such a large-scale military operation with aerial bombardment. In the face of the Turkish attack, the Kurds demanded Damascus to intervene, and after negotiations, limited Syrian army forces entered and deployed on several fronts, but the Turks quickly targeted them with bombing. The Kurds mainly wanted the Syrian army to deploy air defenses to confront Turkish aircraft. Source: Agence France-Presse