Monitor: Turkish operation kills 2 pro-government forces in Afrin

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Turkey’s operation kills at least two pro-Syrian regime forces in the Afrin countryside.

In western Afrin’s Rajo, two pro-regime forces were killed by Turkish bombardment, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday night.

Syrian media did not confirm the deaths.

The UK-based conflict monitor added that a village and three hills separate Turkish positions and YPG positions in the area of Azaz.

Turkey escalated its bombardment of Afrin from the air and land on Saturday and Sunday.

Turkey and its Free Syrian Army proxies aim to push from Azaz, to the southwest toward Afrin city that is controlled by Syria’s YPG fighting alongside pro-regime forces.

The FSA and Turkish forces controlled eight villages over the weekend in Afrin (mostly in the Rajo area), the Operation Olive Branch tweeted on Sunday.

Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch has thus far controlled 73 villages, and the town of Bulbula — totaling 21 percent of the area in Afrin canton, according to the Observatory on Sunday.

Since Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on January 20, 129 civilians have been killed, including 24 children and 19 women, according to the conflict monitor.

Turkey has denied all reports of civilian casualties.

 

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirin said on Sunday that after the operation "around 350,000 people from Afrin will be sent back to their region."