Turkish troops are close to the center of the Syrian city of Afrin. This was stated by Erdogan commenting today on the third week of the "Olive Branch" operation launched by Turkey in Syria.
According to reports from the "Anadolu" agency, in front of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) congress in Bitilis, in the eastern part of the country, the Turkish president confirmed that the Ankara military "is advancing" towards the center of Afrin and "we are close". Since January 20, the Turkish Armed Forces have launched the "Olive Branch" operation in northern Syria.
With the support of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a group that opposes the government of Damascus with the support of Ankara, the Turkish Armed Forces intend to secure the border between Turkey and Syria, eliminating the YPG. These are the militias of the Pyd party, a formation of Syrian Kurds who are part of the opposition to the government of Damascus.
Turkish authorities judge US-backed PYD and YPG terrorist groups for their links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Committed for years in a separatist struggle against Turkey, the PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara, the United States and the European Union. For Turkish President Erdogan, the "Olive Branch" operation in Afrin, later extended to Azaz and also including Manbij, aims to prevent the formation of a "corridor of terror" used by PKK, Pyd and Ypg on the border between Turkey and Syria.
According to what was announced by the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, there are 897 "neutralized terrorists" in the Afrin region, since the start of the "Olive branch" military offensive, specifying that the term "neutralized" refers to the Turkish military to terrorists captured or killed.