Breaking News: Turkish F-16 planes start bombing PYD targets in Afrin
After several days of sending warnings that Turkish Armed Forces would intervene in Afrin in Syria, the operation started. 8 F-16 airplanes deployed at the main jet base, full-equipped with bombs have started bombing PYD targets in Afrin, Syria. Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said in the AK Party congress in Bilecik that TSK had started airborne operations. Some Free Syrian Army troops began to enter the areas occupied by the terrorist organization in Afrin.
Turkey has been very much disturbed with pro-Kurdish armed groups based in Afrin. It has always warned that this threat to sovereignity of Turkey would not be tolerated. After negotiations with USA and Russia in specific Turkish Armed Forces started the operation on 20th January 2018.
The name of the operation is “OLIVE BRANCH”
An announcement was made by Turkish Armed Forces Headquarters saying a new air and ground campaign, dubbed “Olive Branch“, had been launched at 14:00 GMT, targeting the Kurdish YPG (Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units) and Islamic State (IS) group jihadists and the operation would be carried out “with respect for Syria’s territorial integrity.”
A later statement by TSK said – as reported by Reuters – 108 targets belonging to Kurdish militants had been hit. The state-run Anadolu Agency shared that pro-Turkey rebels, known as the Free Syrian Army, had also begun moving into the area.
In reaction to the operation, the first statement came from Russia after Afrin operation started. Russian Foreign Ministry shared that Moscow was following the developments in Afrin carefully and was worried about news coming in. Russian senator Klintseviç said Russia would cooperate with Syria and request the termination of the operation launched in Afrin at the United Nations (UN).
