Turkey shells Syria's Afrin region, minister says operation has begun

[MMM-E]

Turkish Army Leopard2 , M60-A3TTS and SABRA Tanks are ready to enter Afrin to kick PKK-YPG Terrorists

 

[Deleted]

A summary of the first day of a globally-disputed military operation launched by the Turkey against Kurdish organizations in Syria.

On January 20 Turkey made good on threats that it would begin a military operation against Kurds in Syria, as Turkish jets bombed targets around the Kurdish-populated Syrian city of Afrin.

The attacks, curiously dubbed ‘Operation Olive Branch' by Ankara, were announced by Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

"From this moment, the heroic Turkish Armed Forces have launched an air operation to destroy the PYD/PKK and Daesh elements in Afrin," Yildirim said.

Yildirim's announcement was later followed by remarks from President Recep Tayiip Erdogan.

"The Afrin operation has de-facto been started on the ground," Erdogan said in a televised speech, adding that, "this will be followed by Manbij," referring to another Kurdish-controlled Syrian town.

The operation is thought to be targeting Kurdish organizations Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its affiliates Democratic Union Party (PYD) and People's Protection Units (YPG).

The Turkish Foreign Minister stated that Turkey had notified Russia, Syria, the UN and the US about the operation.

"We are notifying the Syrian regime, as well as all other sides, including the United Nations, about the operation in written form," Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu said, quoted by the NTV broadcaster.

Officials in Damascus, however, denied that Erdogan notified them of the operation and declared it to be a violation of Syrian sovereignty.

"Syria completely denies claims by the Turkish regime that it was informed of this military operation," a Syrian foreign ministry source told state news agency SANA.

"The Syrian Arab Republic decisively condemns Turkish aggression against the town of Afrin, which is an inseparable part of Syria,"

Also on January 20, Yildirim announced that airstrikes will be followed by an invasion by Turkish ground forces to "carry out the necessary work."

"They will move together with the Free Syria Army," he said, referring to a Turkish-backed militant group.

Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) issued a statement denying any hostile operations against Turkey and saying that they will defend themselves against what they claim is Turkish aggression.

"Allegations that we have launched attacks across the border are false and a pretext for Turkey to bring its military forces and its extremist opposition groups onto Syrian soil. This would be an act of aggression against us, our people, and Syria," the SDF said.

"If attacked, we will have no choice but to defend ourselves and our people, but we state in front of the world that we harbor no hostile intent towards Turkey and would only take measures in our own defense in the event of hostile operations against our people," the organization added.

The results of the initial strikes were announced in a statement of the Turkish General Staff.

"Out of 113 designated targets of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) Kurdish Syrian terrorist group, 108 have been destroyed as of 18:30 [15:30 GMT]. All the killed and wounded people, who have been sent to hospitals, are members of terrorist groups," the statement asserted.

The later statement was refuted by Rojahat Roj, press secretary of the Kurdish Self-Defense Forces YPG in Afrin. Talking to Sputnik, he said that Turkish air Forces hit some 100 positions in the Afrin area, but did not injure any YPG staff.

According to Roj, Turkey did injure at least seven civilians. Authorities in Afrin raised that number to 10, including two children. Three people reportedly suffered severe wounds, city authorities told Sputnik.

"According to the recent figures, 10 people were injured, including three people who suffered severe wounds. The list of injured people includes two children," the press service said, adding that local authorities had called on the residents of Afrin to donate blood to victims of the Turkish airstrikes.

During the airstrikes, Turkish air forces reportedly hit the Menagh Military Airbase, which the US has used for supplying weapons to Kurdish armed forces in their participation in the successful fight against Daesh, according to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.

In an interview to Radio Sputnik, Professor Dr. Bora Bayraktar from Kultuk University in Istanbul opined that the United States, with whom Turkey has had tense relations for the last few years, intended to use Kurdish territory to chop off a part of Syrian territory so as to create a pseudo-state and use it as grounds to conduct further military operations in the Middle East.

US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert called on the country not to engage in any invasion of Syria's Afrin, reiterating a statement made by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who also assured that the US had no intention of building a Syria-Turkey border force, saying the issue, which has incensed Ankara, had been "misportrayed."

In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that Russia was withdrawing its troops from Syria's Afrin, the target of the Turkish offensive.

"The command of the Russian group of troops in Syria has taken measures to ensure the security of Russian servicemen located in the district of Afrin, where the Turkish Armed Forces launched a special operation against the Kurdish armed groups," the statement read.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Saturday that Moscow was closely following the situation in Syria's Afrin and was concerned by the news about the Turkish military engagement in the city.

https://sputniknews.com/military/201801211060927116-turkey-syria-military-operation-wrapup/

 

[Deleted]

On Saturday, the Turkish General Staff declared the launch of the operation dubbed Olive Branch against the Kurdish forces in Afrin. The operation started at 14:00 GMT and over 70 Turkish warplanes conducted airstrikes in seven districts of Afrin, where 108 targets were hit.

The military operation has already been condemned by Damascus and the Syrian Foreign Ministry claimed that it was a violation of Syrian sovereignty.

Meanhwhile, residents of the northern Syrian district of Afrin are frightened of the bombardments by the Turkish Air Force targeting local Kurdish militia.

https://twitter.com/x/status/954801166860406784

"The airstrikes began two days ago, but initially Turkish planes bombed desert areas. Today, for the first time the airstrikes targeted the center of Afrin [city]. The airstrikes are everywhere and it is very scary. All my relatives, five families, gathered at our house in a large room. We do not have a basement, so we hope for walls. Women are crying, it is very scary," local resident Hevin Hassan told Sputnik.

At least nine people were killed and 13 were injured in the northern Syrian district of Afrin as a result of the bombardments by the Turkish Air Force targeting local Kurdish militia, media reported Sunday citing the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

According to Rudaw news agency, six civilians and three militiamen were killed in the Turkish airstrikes.

Earlier that day, the press service of the authorities of the Afrin canton told Sputnik that at least 10 Afrin residents were injured in the airstrikes carried out by Turkish aircraft.

According to media reports, during the airstrikes, the Rubar refugee camp for internally displaced persons from the province of Aleppo was damaged. Turkish warplanes also targeted a local airfield, which was used by the US forces for arms deliveries to Kurdish militia.

The situation at the Syrian-Turkish border has become tense recently, with the Turkish armed forces shelling the positions of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which it considers an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization in Turkey and several other countries.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201801211060928196-syria-afrin-turkey-airstrikes-civilians/

 

[Trango Towers]

Notice this type of news doesn't come out when the Americans or Russians are attacking. These kurd didnt catecfor Palestinians when when they raised Israeli flags and celebrated. Fcuk them.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

A much needed initiative for Security

 

[MMM-E]

The US-Israeli backed YPG and ISIS Terrorists , Assad Regime , Iran , Hezbollah , Russia killed over 700.000 civilians in Syria

on the other hand TURKEY saved over 3 millions of Syrians from The US-Israeli backed YPG and ISIS Terrorists , Assad Regime , Iran , Hezbollah , Russia

 

[damm1t]

This is how Syrians react...

Protests over PYD

Welcomes Turkish Op.

 

[Beny Karachun]

on the other hand TURKEY saved over 3 millions of Syrians from The US-Israeli backed YPG and ISIS Terrorists , Assad Regime , Iran , Hezbollah , Russia

Yeah, it just costed the EU a few billion dollars.

 

[jamahir]

Notice the flags. They have three stars. The real flag of the Syrian government and the Syrian peoples has two stars.

In flag the real Syrian flag is entirely different.

So the question is who are the "Syrians" in your picture.

 

[Deleted]

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Turkish tanks and military personnel have entered Syrian territory amid preparations for the ground operation in Syrian northern district of Afrin, the Yeni Safak newspaper reported on Sunday.

According to the newspaper, the Turkish tanks and troops started to enter Syrian territory from the Oncupinar border gate at 19:00 GMT and the passage continued until the early hours of Sunday morning.

The day before, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that the ground operation in Syria's Afrin may start on Sunday.

The Turkish General Staff declared the launch of the operation dubbed Olive Branch against the Kurdish forces in Afrin on Saturday. The operation started at 14:00 GMT and over 70 Turkish warplanes conducted airstrikes in seven districts of Afrin, where 108 targets were hit. The military operation has already been condemned by Damascus with the Syrian Foreign Ministry calling the act a violation of Syrian sovereignty.

Following the airstrike, the authorities of the Afrin canton told Sputnik that at least 10 Afrin residents had been injured in the attack.

According to media reports, during the airstrikes, the Rubar refugee camp for internally displaced persons from the province of Aleppo was damaged. Turkish warplanes also targeted a local airfield, which was used by the US forces for arms deliveries to Kurdish militia.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201801211060931682-turkey-tanks-syria-ground-operation/

 

[damm1t]

Notice the flags. They have three stars. The real flag of the Syrian government and the Syrian peoples has two stars.

In flag the real Syrian flag is entirely different.

So the question is who are the "Syrians" in your picture.

Real Syrian people? Who decide it who is real? Don't make your head busy with Syrian flags. They changed their flags more than my age .. This 3 stars design is the first one they have used during independence from French... 2 star design used when Syria joined Egypt-Libya under United Arab Federation... If regime changed they may put 10 stars maybe... Anyway it's not you and I who are the real Syrians...

 

[MMM-E]

Yeah, it just costed the EU a few billion dollars.

The EU should pray for ERDOGAN that Turkey saved Europe from over 3 millions of Syrian refugees

and The EU gave only €900 million for Syrian refugees in Turkey ( recalling the promise the EU gave to Turkey 6 billion euros aid for over 3 millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey )

btw TURKEY spent over $30 billion for Syrian refugees in Turkey

 

[jamahir]

Real Syrian people? Who decide it who is real? Don't make your head busy with Syrian flags. They changed their flags more than my age .. This 3 stars design is the first one they have used during independence from French... 2 star design used when Syria joined Egypt-Libya under United Arab Federation... If regime changed they may put 10 stars maybe... Anyway it's not you and I who are the real Syrians...

The underlined sentence clearly puts your position. You support FSA, yes??

The three-star flag in Syria has the same logic as the NTC flag for Libya.

 

[MMM-E]

Turkish Airforce Massive Air Strike on YPG Terrorist Targets in Afrin

72 Aircrafts joined the operation and 108 out of 113 identified YPG targets in Afrin successfuly hit in hours

only a few Airforce can do it in the World and Turkish Airforce is one of them

 

[damm1t]

The underlined sentence clearly puts your position. You support FSA, yes??

The three-star flag in Syria has the same logic as the NTC flag for Libya.

Yes, and?