Turkey briefs heads of diplomatic missions on Afrin op

By Gokhan Yildiz

ISTANBUL (AA) –Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chief adviser on Monday talked about Turkey’s operation in Afrin to foreign mission chiefs in Istanbul.

During the event, which was organized by the Daily Sabah newspaper and the Istanbul Consular Corps, Prof. Gulnur Aybet informed consuls general and executives of international companies working in Istanbul about Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

“There have been some distortions in some international media since the beginning of Operation Olive Branch. We need to explain […] our reasons for the operation better,” Aybet told Anadolu Agency.

On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin.

According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkey’s borders and the region as well as to protect Syrians from terrorist oppression and cruelty.

The operation is being carried out under the framework of Turkey's rights based on international law, UN Security Council resolutions, its self-defense rights under the UN Charter and with respect for Syria's territorial integrity, it said.

The military also said only terror targets are being destroyed and that "utmost care" is being taken to avoid harming civilians.