Turkish aid agency provides food aid in Syria’s Afrin

By Cem Genco

HATAY, Turkey (AA) - An Istanbul-based aid agency has delivered food aid to families in Syria’s Afrin region, an agency official said Friday.

Turkey’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) said in a written statement that it handed out food packages to 500 families living in the district center and villages.

Selim Tosun, media representative of IHH for Syria, said that the aid works continue throughout Afrin.

He also said that the agency eyes to meet needs of civilian people -- especially orphans, widows and needy families -- in the region.

The IHH has been carrying out aid projects in war-torn Syria since the country’s devastating conflict began in 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

Since Afrin’s liberation in March of last year by Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch, the aid agency has distributed hot meals to an estimated one million Syrians.

In January of 2018, Turkey launched the operation with the stated aim of purging Afrin of YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists.