The offensive launched by the Turkish army on Afrin, a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria, will be extended to other locations as far as the border with Iraq, including Kobane, the Kurdish city that became famous worldwide for having marked the first defeat in January 2015 of the jihadists of the Islamic State (Isis) after a long siege that lasted over 4 months.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today. Once Afrin is "purified of terrorists, we will also clean up Minbej, Ayn al Arab (Arabic name of Kobane, ed), Tal Abyad, Ras al Ain and Qamishli", said the rais of Ankara in a televised speech delivered in Mersin, in southern Turkey.
Ankara, since January 20, has been engaged in the "Olive branch" operation which aims to free the Afrin area from the People's Protection Units (YPG).
Since March 2, the Turkish military initiative has entered its second phase, with the intensification of fighting, especially in urban centers. Ankara's goal is to eliminate the YPG and their party, the Democratic Union (PYD), from the Turkish-Syrian border.
Pyd and Ypg, supported by the United States, are considered by the government to turn terrorist groups because of their ties with the Workers' Party of Kurdistan (PKK) which for years has led a separatist struggle against Ankara and is considered a terrorist organization not only Turkey but also from the United States and the European Union.
Since March 20, the Damascus government has also intervened in Afrin, which has sent regular units and the militias of the National Defense Forces (Ndf) in support of the YPG against the Turkish offensive in the region.