Syrian popular forces enter Afrin
11:32 pm
Two pro-Syrian government forces killed
Two fighters from the pro-Syrian government forces were killed and three injured in Turkish shelling of the units that arrived in Afrin on Tuesday, YPG-linked media, Hawar news, reported.
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8:37 pm
Erdogan: Syrian forces were ‘forced to turn back’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that Syrian pro-government forces “were forced to turn back” from Afrin after coming under Turkish artillery fire.
Speaking at a press conference, he said that the fighters who entered Afrin were acting alone and warned that Turkey would not allow a “wrongful step” in the future.
“That file has been closed for now,” he asserted.
Turkey launched its military offensive one month ago, on January 20.
Syrian pro-government fighters arrive in Afrin on Tuesday. Photo: George Ourfalian/AFP
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6:55 pm
Syrian forces ‘withdraw’ after warning shots: Turkish media
Turkey fired “warning shots” at pro-government Syrian forces in Afrin, forcing them to withdraw to about 10 kilometres away, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
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6:36 pm
Syrian forces will deploy to Afrin-Turkey border
The pro-government Syrian forces will deploy along Afrin’s border with Turkey, YPG spokesperson Nouri Mahmoud has confirmed in a statement.
They will “take up positions on the borders and participate in defending the territorial unity of Syria and its borders,” his statement read.
The YPG invited the regime forces to help defend Afrin against Turkey’s “unjust invasion,” he added.
The pro-government forces number in the hundreds, according to a UK-based conflict monitor.
"Hundreds of fighters entered the Afrin region on Tuesday afternoon," the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
Some fighters chanted “One Syria, one Syria,” when crossing the checkpoint into Afrin in video shown on Syrian state TV.
The PYD, the ruling Kurdish party in Rojava PYD, confirmed that the Syrian forces came under fire from Turkish forces on their arrival in Afrin.
Turkey and its Syrian proxies are also bombarding Afrin city, the PYD stated.
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5:49 pm
Turkey shelling near Syrian forces: report
Turkey is shelling residential areas close to the popular forces arriving in Afrin, Syria’s state-run SANA news has reported.
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5:31 pm
Syrian popular forces are entering the Kurdish canton of Afrin, YPG-linked media Hawar News has reported.
The pro-government forces are in Afrin to help the people defend against Turkish “aggression,” Syria’s state-run SANA news reported.
The YPG had reportedly been in talks with Damascus regarding the possible deployment of regime forces to the enclave in northwestern Syria to help Kurdish forces defend against the Turkish-led military incursion.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Monday that talks were ongoing, especially on the issues of administration of the canton, which is part of the self-autonomous Rojava region under Kurdish authority, and the presence of armed Kurdish forces, the YPG.
YPG spokesperson Nouri Mahmoud told Reuters on Monday that there was “no agreement. There is only a call from us for the Syrian army to come in and protect the borders.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed on Tuesday that he had thwarted the planned deployment after speaking by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a key ally of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.
Erdogan also spoke with Iran’s Hassan Rouhani on Monday.
They discussed Turkey’s Afrin operation, and Rouhani told his Turkish counterpart, “We want entire Syrian soil to be cleared from terrorists and we believe that protecting territorial integrity of this country must be a concern for all countries of the region,” according to a statement from Rouhani’s office.
Ankara believes the Kurdish YPG and political party PYD are terror groups. The Kurdish groups deny the charge.