Turkish military, FSA liberate 8 more villages in Afrin

By Burak Karacaoglu, Esref Musa, Adham Kako, Levent Tok and Omer Koparan

AFRIN, Syria/ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish Armed Forces and Free Syrian Army (FSA) on Wednesday liberated eight more villages and a hill from terrorists during Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s northwestern Afrin region.

According to Anadolu Agency correspondents in the field, the villages of Goz, Kafr Dali al Fawqani, Ma’arratah and Shadir in Afrin, the Julakan and Kuran villages Jinderes, Kuri Kul in Bulbul district, a hill and the village of Satyan in Mabatli district were cleared of YPG/PKK-Daesh terrorists.

Since the launch of the operation, the Turkish military and FSA have liberated 229 locations, including five town centers, 190 villages, 39 strategic mountains and hills, and one YPG/PKK base.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that he hopes the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin will be liberated from terrorists “by this evening”.

According to Bekir Bozdag on Monday, deputy prime minister and government spokesperson, the operation has liberated a total of 1,102 square kilometers from the terrorist threat.

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.