Turkish army shelling terrorist targets in Afrin

By Kerem Kocalar

KILIS, Turkey (AA) - The Turkish army has been shelling targets of PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and Daesh terrorists in the Afrin region, northern Syria, as part of "Operation Olive Branch" which started on Saturday at 5 p.m.

The Turkish military howitzers stationed in the region responded to the PYD/PKK terrorist group’s harassing fire at Turkey’s southern border province of Kilis following the operation.

"Operation Olive Branch" aims to establish security and stability along the Turkish borders and the region as well as eliminate terrorists and protect the Syrian people from the terrorists’ oppression and cruelty.

The operation is carried out under the framework of Turkey’s rights based on international law, the UN Security Council’s decisions and self-defense rights under the UN charter, said the military.

The PYD/PKK is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist group, which has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.

Since the mid-1980s, the PKK has waged a wide-ranging terror campaign against the Turkish state in which an estimated 40,000 people have been killed.