Centre of Syrian metropolis seized – Turkey

Turkish-backed forces absorb taken elephantine modify of the centre of the Syrian-Kurdish metropolis of Afrin.

Combatants waved flags and tore down the statue of a legendary Kurdish settle after claiming the metropolis centre on Sunday.

The 2-month Turkish-led operation aimed to rid the border topic of a Kurdish militia that Turkey considers a terrorist group.

Activists drawl 280 civilians absorb died, even supposing right here is denied by Ankara.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that « devices of the Free Syrian Military… took modify of the centre of Afrin this morning ».

He mentioned operations were continuing to high-quality mines and any final resistance.

« Most of the terrorists absorb already fled with tails between their legs, » the Turkish president mentioned.

« In the centre of Afrin, symbols of belief and balance are waving in wish to rags of terrorists. »

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Images and video footage emerged of forces tearing down a Kurdish statue with a bulldozer.

The monument depicted the blacksmith Kawa, a legendary accept Kurds.

An announcement on a Whatsapp group for the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces called it the « first blatant violation of Kurdish folks’s custom and ancient previous since the takeover of Afrin ».

A Turkish defense force Twitter online page posted a video of troops displaying the nation’s flag in Afrin’s centre.

Mohammad al-Hamadeen, spokesman for the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Military (FSA), mentioned they met no resistance as they entered Afrin on three fronts.

« Perchance this would possibly possibly perchance be cleared by the cease of the day – it is empty of [YPG] warring parties, they cleared out, » he mentioned.

Nevertheless, the British-essentially based fully fully Syrian Observatory for Human Rights mentioned Turkish and FSA warring parties managed round half of of the metropolis, with clashes continuing in some areas on Sunday morning.

Will Turkey press on?

By Price Lowen, BBC Turkey Correspondent

President Erdogan has achieved his twin objectives: to take away a key impart below YPG modify and to rally the wide majority of Turks in the aid of their commander-in-chief. The jingoism right here has been breathtaking. Focused on Turkey’s age-outdated enemy of the Kurdish militants is a rare uniting force in a polarised nation. Folks which absorb spoken out – several hundred – were detained for « terrorism propaganda ».

The question now would possibly possibly be whether or now not or now not Turkey pushes on to diversified YPG-held areas, particularly Manbij, which would possibly perchance build Turkish troops in recount battle with US soldiers there who survey the YPG as allies. That is dependent on talks between Ankara and Washington, and the sacking of Secretary of Instruct Rex Tillerson closing week gets rid of a necessary interlocutor for Turkey.

The possibility in Afrin is that many residents who will return are Kurdish and would possibly possibly survey Turkey as the aggressor. Tearing down a Kurdish statue in the metropolis centre doesn’t augur effectively. Will the Afrin operation in actuality push extra local folks into the fingers of the YPG?

Why has Turkey taken Afrin?

The Turkish assault on Afrin, named Operation Olive Branch, started on 20 January, with the design of ridding the metropolis and surrounding topic of the YPG.

Turkey regards the YPG as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Celebration (PKK), which has fought for Kurdish autonomy in south-jap Turkey for three decades.

The YPG denies any recount organisational links to the PKK – an assertion backed by the US, which is allied with the YPG in the fight against the jihadist group Islamic Instruct (IS) in Syria.

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US plans to aid kind a Kurdish border force residing dismay bells ringing in Ankara, and brought on the launch of Operation Olive Branch.

President Erdogan vowed to « suffocate » what he called a « distress military. »

Turkey also announced plans to push Kurdish forces from Manbij, one other metropolis terminate to the border.

What is the Free Syrian Military?

Backed by Turkey, the Free Syrian Military is a rebel group running in the north of the nation.

It helps Turkey to stable its border with Syria, and has fought against the Syrian military, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the Islamic Instruct group.

• Who are the teams combating Assad?

What is happening in other places in Syria?

The assault in the north-west coincides with a Syrian and Russian offensive on Eastern Ghouta, an enclave terminate to Damascus.

The Syrian military is pushing into the impart with the enhance of Russian air strikes, and there are experiences of civilian casualties.

The expert-government assault is purported to absorb captured 70% of the enclave. Seizing it’d be a serious victory for President Assad.

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