On January 20, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) announced in an official statement that seven civilians were killed and twelve others were injured in Turkish strikes on the area of Afrin in northern Aleppo. The YPG also revealed that Turkish airstrikes killed three of its fighters.
In its statement, the YPG surprisingly accused Russia of giving Turkey a “permission” to conduct its military operation in Afrin and said that Russia will be responsible for any massacre in Afrin. On the other hand, the US-backed Kurdish force ignored the silence of its main ally, the US and didn’t mention it in its statement.
“We know that, without the permission of global forces and mainly Russia, whose troops located in Afrin, Turkey cannot attack civilians using Afrin air space. Therefore, we hold Russia as responsible as Turkey and stress that Russia is the crime partner of Turkey in massacring the civilians in the region,” the YPG said in the statement.
Meanwhile, the Kurdish Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported that Turkish warplanes conducted another series of airstrikes against several positions of the YPG in the towns of Rajo, Jandarseh and in the city of Afrin.
From its side, the Turkish Anadolu Agency said that the Turkish Air Force (TAF) targeted the strategic Menagh airbase southeast of Afrin city. Turkish activists claimed that the US used it to supply the YPG with advanced weapons. However, these claims have not been yet confirmed.
The Turkish Army will likely launch its ground attack against the YPG and other Kurdish militias in Afrin area in the upcoming hours, as the Turkish Army tanks already took offensive positions northeast and northwest of Afrin.
