Turkish Deputy PM and government spokesperson Bekir Bozdağ
Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch in northwestern Afrin region of Syria only targets terror groups and not Kurds, Arabs or Turkmen, Turkish deputy minister said on Sunday.
Speaking to the foreign journalists in Istanbul, Bekir Bozdag said PKK, YPG, KCK and PYD terrorists turned the region into a terror nest, posing a threat to all the people both in Turkey and neighboring countries.
"Hundreds of thousands of Kurdish people have migrated to Turkey from Syria… Almost 370,000 Syrian Kurdish people are in Turkey. Nearly 250,000 Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen people have migrated from Afrin and several other areas,” Bozdag said.
Bozdag said almost 700 attacks targeted Turkey’s southern Hatay and Kilis provinces from Afrin and many people were martyred or injured as a result of the terrorist attacks.
“The presence of these terror groups in Afrin region in which the Syrian regime is not so strong has been posing a threat to the territorial integrity of Syria as well,” Bozdag said.
Daesh, PKK, KCK and YPG terrorists were not only targeting Arabs and Turkmen people but also Syrian Kurdish people, who rejected to bow them, he added.
Turkish security forces hit several PYD/PKK targets in the besieged Syrian border town of Afrin in order to prevent a "terror corridor" from forming along Turkey's borders.
Turkish forces hit PKK/PYD in northern Syria
'To last terrorist'
Bozdağ said the operation will also prevent the terrorists from crossing into Europe through Turkey.
Recalling Turkey’s previous Operation Eruphrates Shield Operation in Syria’s Jarabulus and Al-Bab regions, Bozdag said Turkey cleared terrorists from these areas and the new operation would continue until all terrorists were killed in Afrin.
Turkey on Saturday launched Operation Olive Branch to remove PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin.
According to Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkish borders and the region as well as to protect the Syrian people from the oppression and cruelty of terrorists.
Three rockets fired from across the border landed in Turkey’s Reyhanli district in southern Hatay province.One of the rockets hit a house on Rifat Bahadirli Street in Reyhanli and the other one hit a workplace on Cumhuriyet Street, according to initial reports.At the same time, another rocket hit Tayfur Sokmen Street and injured a few people.Buildings and vehicles were damaged during the attack.Turkey on Saturday launched Operation Olive Branch to remove PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and Daesh terror groups from Syria's Afrin.The operation was being carried out under the framework of Turkey’s rights based on international law, UN Security Council’s decisions, self-defense rights under the UN charter and respect to Syria's territorial integrity, the Turkish General Staff has said.The military also said only terrorist targets were being destroyed and 'utmost importance' was being given to not harm any civilian.Rockets fired from Syria hit Turkish border city KilisVideo: Rockets fired from Syria hit Turkish border town
Three rockets fired from Syria hit Turkey’s Hatay province
Anyone who opposes Turkey's operation in northern Syria's Afrin region is siding with terrorists and will be treated accordingly, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Sunday.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official visit to Iraq, Çavuşoğlu said Ankara expected France to support Turkey's operation, after France asked Turkey to act with restraint in Syria, saying it would call an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Turkish jets hit 45 targets in operation on Syria's AfrinTurkey’s Afrin operation dominates Arab media
Turkey says those opposing operation in Syria's Afrin siding with terrorists
Turkey's Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar is in southern Hatay province to inspect troops, which are taking part in ongoing Operation Olive Branch in Syria's Afrin.According to a statement by Turkish General Staff, Akar was accompanied by Commander of the Turkish Land Forces Gen. Yasar Guler, Commander of the Turkish Navy Forces Adm. Adnan Ozbal and Turkish Air Forces Commander Gen, Hasan Kucukakyuz.Akar also spoke to Iran’s military chief of staff Maj. Gen Mohammad Bagheri on the phone and exchanged views on cooperation against terrorist groups in Syria, according to a military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.Turkish jets hit 45 targets in operation on Syria's AfrinTurkey’s Afrin operation dominates Arab mediaTurkish opposition backs Syria's Afrin operationEarlier, Turkish General Staff said in a statement that more than 150 targets of PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and Daesh in Syria's Afrin had been destroyed at seven areas during airstrikes after the "Operation Olive Branch" was launched at 5 p.m. (GMT1400) on Saturday.The operation was being carried out under the framework of Turkey’s rights based on international law, UN Security Council’s decisions, self-defense rights under the UN charter and respect to Syria's territorial integrity, the military added.The military also said only terrorist targets were being destroyed and "utmost importance" was being given to not harm any civilian.Afrin has been a major hideout for the PYD/PKK since July 2012 when the Assad regime in Syria left the city to the terror group without putting up a fight.The Turkish cities of Kilis and Hatay across the Syrian border are within the firing range of the PYD/PKK group from Afrin, which sits atop a hill. The terror group has also used Amanos Mountains to penetrate from Syria into Turkey.Video: Turkish army video shows airstrike at AfrinThe PYD/PKK depends on Afrin to connect to the Mediterranean from northwestern Syria. The terrorist organization has also threatened the gains made from Operations Euphrates Shield and Idlib de-escalation zone over Afrin. A quarter of Syria land and 65 percent of Turkey-Syria border are currently under occupation of the terrorist organization.Operation Euphrates Shield began in August 2016 and ended in late March 2017 to improve security, support coalition forces and eliminate the terror threat along the Turkish border.
Turkish army chief in Hatay province to inspect troops
The operation was being carried out under the framework of Turkey’s rights based on international law, UN Security Council’s decisions, self-defense rights under the UN charter and respect to Syria's territorial integrity, it said.
The military also said the "utmost importance" was being given to not harm any civilian.
Afrin has been a major hideout for the PYD/PKK since July 2012 when the Assad regime in Syria left the city to the terror group without putting up a fight.