Afrin op. to continue till last terrorist wiped out: PM

By Nilay Kar Onum

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkey's Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, northwestern Syria, will continue until terror groups in the region are completely wiped out, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Friday.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony at National Defense University in Istanbul, Yildirim said: "This operation based on international law and our legitimate rights will continue to the end. [Telling] any day or date [when it will end] is out of question here.”

The operation will end after "the complete wiping out and neutralization of terror organizations," he added.

He reiterated that the operation would not be limited to Afrin. “Wherever there is terror, it will be our target.”

He also acknowledged that 81 million people in Turkey back the soldiers involved in the operation.

A total of 2,295 YPG/PKK-Daesh terrorists have been "neutralized" since the launch of Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement on Friday.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear YPG/PKK-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 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.