Turkish Armed Forces, FSA capture Mt. Barsaya in Afrin

AZAZ, Syria (AA) - The Turkish Armed Forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) on Monday captured the strategically important Mt. Barsaya in Afrin, Syria, according to Anadolu Agency correspondents in the region.

The terrorist organization PYD/PKK had been using the mountain -- which overlooks Syria’s Azaz district and the Turkish province of Kilis -- to attack civilians with howitzers and missiles.

Separately, the villages of Sheikh Badi, Marso and Haftar were also captured in northern Syria’s Bulbul district.

With the newest land taken, the number of captured areas totals 15 on day three of Operation Olive Branch, which aims to establish security and stability along Turkish borders and the region as well as to protect the Syrian people from the oppression and cruelty of terrorists, according to the Turkish General Staff.