Turkish army, FSA hit PYD/PKK targets in west of Afrin

By Burak Kocaoglu and Esref Musa

IDLIB, Syria (AA) - Turkish military and Free Syrian Army (FSA) on Sunday hit PYD/PKK targets in western Afrin, as part of the ongoing military operation in northwestern Syria.

Turkish Armed Forces used artillery and fighter jets to target the positions of terrorist organization in township of Jinderes, Anadolu Agency correspondents in the region reported.

While the Turkish army carries out its pinpoint operations in the town, the FSA troops continued their reconnaissance activities with drones in the region.

Jinderes town is a strategic region for the PYD/PKK to attack on Reyhanli, a district in Turkey’s border province of Hatay.

It is also a smooth valley stretching out to Afrin.

Earlier, Turkish army and Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces captured the nearby Mount Bursaya in Afrin, denying the terrorist PYD/PKK a strategic peak it has used to launch attacks on civilians in both Turkey and Syria.

The capture came after Turkish forces and FSA fighters under the Turkish-led Operation Olive Branch advanced to the peak from the northwestern Syrian city of Azaz.

The terrorist PYD/PKK has used Mount Bursaya to target civilians in the center of Turkey’s Kilis province and Syria’s Azaz district through mortar shells, artillery, and missiles.

On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to rid Afrin region in northwestern Syria of PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists.

According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkey’s borders and the region as well as 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 respect for Syria's territorial integrity, it said.

Afrin has been a major hideout for the PYD/PKK since July 2012 when the Assad regime in Syria left the city to the terror group without a fight.