Two PKK terrorists nabbed trying to enter Syria’s Afrin

AFRIN/JARABULUS, Syria (AA) - Two PKK terrorists were arrested while attempting to infiltrate Syria’s northwestern town of Afrin, which was liberated from the YPG/PKK terrorist group earlier this year by the Turkish military and the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

The two terrorists had tried to enter the town from a nearby mountainous area but were apprehended by FSA personnel.

According to FSA sources, the pair -- one of whom is reportedly a Turkish national -- were in possession of guns with silencers and improvised explosive devices.

In January, the Turkish army launched Operation Olive Branch with the aim of expelling YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin.

On Mar. 18, the 58th day of the operation, Turkish troops and FSA fighters announced that the town had been successfully liberated.

In a related development, two car bombs went off in Syria’s nearby city of Jarabulus without causing casualties.

Located near the Turkish border roughly 150 kilometers northeast of Afrin, Jarabulus remains under Turkish/FSA control as part of Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched in mid-2016.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.