Civilians leaving Syria's Afrin amid tensions

By Burak Karacaoglu, Esref Musa and Mohamad Misto

IDLIB/AFRIN, Syria (AA) – Ahead of a possible Turkish military operation against the terrorist PYD/PKK in Afrin, northern Syria, along Turkey’s border, some civilians are leaving the district.

According to information Anadolu Agency gathered from reliable sources, families taking a small number of belongings with them were seen leaving the district with their vehicles Tuesday evening.

Dozens of vehicles were seen exiting the district and heading north of the Aleppo city center, an area controlled by the Assad regime.

Local sources said that the streets grew emptier, with tension rising in the district amid expectation Turkey might launch a military operation against terrorist organization targets in the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said Turkey is ready “at any moment” to start an operation in the besieged border area of Syria.