17 March 2018•Update: 18 March 2018
ANKARA
Footage captured by a Turkish army drone shows YPG/PKK terrorists setting vehicles on fire in Afrin city center, northwestern Syria.
The video, shared by the military, shows terrorists setting a tanker, truck and automobile on fire, in a bid to prevent civilians from fleeing the area.
The city center was encircled by Turkish Armed Forces along with the Free Syrian Army as part of the ongoing Operation Olive Branch.
The terrorists are using civilians as human shields against the Turkish forces.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Turkey-backed forces now controlled three quarters of Afrin, liberating 1,320 square kilometers (510 square miles) from the terror groups.
On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear YPG/PKK-Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northwestern Syria.
According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkey’s borders and the region as well as to protect Syrians from the oppression and cruelty of terrorists.
The operation is being carried out under the framework of Turkey's rights based on international law, UN Security Council resolutions, its self-defense rights under the UN charter, and respect for Syria's territorial integrity, it said.
The military also said only terror targets are being destroyed and that the "utmost care" is being taken to avoid harming civilians.
Reporting by Burcu Calik:Writing by Sorwar Alam
