Members of the Turkey-led forces involved in Operation Olive Branch
The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have captured 950km2 from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) since the start of Operation Olive Branch in the Syrian area of Afrin on January 20, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on March 11.
“To date 950 square kilometers have been taken under our control,” the president told the 6th provincial congress of the ruling Justice and Development Party adding that the ongoing operation is aimed at liberating the area from “terrorists”.
Erdogan contiinued claiming that Turkey’s 911-kilometer border with Syria has been harassed by both terrorist groups and the Syrian government.
“With these things happening in Syria, when will you, NATO, take our side?” Erdogan said.
Earlier on the same day, the TAF’s general staff said that 3,291 “terrorists” had been neutralized since the start of the military operation in Afrin.
Meanwhile, the TAF and the FSA continued their advance on the YPG-held city of Afrin rapidly gaining ground thanks to their advantage in manpower and military equipment.
