“The reports claiming that the hospital in Afrin was bombed by the Turkish Armed Forces are fake,” tweeted TSK on Saturday.
The military released video dated “March 17, 2018 at 9:43 a.m.," which Turkey says is the undamaged Afrin hospital.
PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG ve DEAŞ terör örgütleri tarafından Türk Silahlı Kuvvetlerince vurulduğu iddia edilen Afrin Hastanesinin 17 Mart 2018 saat 09.43 itibariyle durumuna ait görüntü. pic.twitter.com/HNng9DVTde
— TSK (@TSKGnkur) March 17, 2018
“During the planning and conduct of the operation, only terrorists and their shelters, weapons and equipment are being targeted while all necessary measures are being taken with utmost care and sensitivity in order not to harm civilian/innocent people and the environment,” TSK later tweeted.
In downtown Afrin, Hawar news agency reports the Turkish military misidentified the hospital building struck by three rockets. Photo: Hawar
Hawar news agency has claimed that the Turkish military misrepresented the building housing the hospital.
Rudaw cannot independently verify the images.
The agency, close to the YPG, posted an earlier photo from the Turkish military, claiming that the undamaged building was a printing house (matbaa binasi), and there was damage to Avrin Hospital (Avrin Hastanesi).
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported early Saturday morning that “16 people were killed including two pregnant women” in the late-night strike conducted by “Turkish forces and their warplanes.
"There was bombing on the city during the day that got close to the hospital, but this evening it was directly hit," Serwan Bery, co-chair of the Kurdish Red Crescent, told AFP.
"It was the only functioning hospital in Afrin city," he said.
The YPG detailed the attack in a statement: The Turkish army attacked the hospital "with 3 rockets."
Aldar Khalil, co-president of the executive body of the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) that governs Rojava, put the initial death toll at 15.
Avrin Hospital was the only medical facility in service. It has been hit by 3 missiles. 15 bodies have been identified, and many more are scattered all over the place. We are waiting for more information,” Khali tweeted.
Through Friday, the Observatory documented the deaths of 270 civilians — 43 on Friday alone.
Turkey and its Free Syrian Army proxies began Operation Olive Branch on January 20.
Last updated at 2:25 p.m.
