Operation Olive Branch to reach its aim with Tal Rifaat

By Selen Temizer, Omer Koparan and Adham Kako

ANKARA, Turkey/AZAZ, Syria

Since the YPG/PKK terrorists in Afrin, Syria fled there to the city of Tal Rifaat as Turkish forces and Free Syrian Army liberated Afrin's town center on March 18, as part of Operation Olive Branch, Tal Rifaat has become a natural extension of the operation.

After their lands are liberated from the terrorists, hundreds of thousands of residents of Tal Rifaat will have the chance to return to their homes.

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 to clear terrorist groups from Afrin, northwestern Syria amid growing threats from the region.

In early 2016, YPG/PKK terrorists aimed to capture the regions between the east bank of the Euphrates River and western Afrin, in order to link the lands it had already captured.

The terror group, moving from Afrin to the southeast and from Manbij to the west, tried to take control of Tal Rifaat and Al-Bab and link the line. By doing so, the YPG/PKK sought to gain dominance along the Syrian-Turkish border.

Using Russia’s intense air support at a time when its ties with Turkey were tense, the terrorists had the opportunity to spread to the southeast from Afrin.

The terrorist group, leaving Afrin, rapidly invaded Tal Rifaat and nearby villages which had been under opposition control.

Tal Rifaat played the role of a bridge for the invasion line the terrorists aimed to form in the north.

Tal Rifaat-Manbij link of terrorists

The YPG/PKK terrorists’ so-called administrative structure in Syria consists of three “regions” and six “cantons.”

The terror group describes the structure as “Jazira (Hasakah and Qamisli), Euphrates (Kobane and Tal Abyad), and Afrin (Afrin and Shahba)”.

It also gives a so-called special status to Raqqah, which it keeps under control.

They call the line stretching from Tal Rifaat to Manbij the “Shahba Canton.”

But the Al-Bab district between Tal Rifaat and Manbij is located within the area liberated by Turkey’s previous Operation Euphrates Shield, which makes it impossible for the terrorists to link Tal Rifaat to Manbij.

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 Turkey's borders.

Twisting the demographics

During its invasion of Tal Rifaat, the YPG/PKK forced around 250,000 Arabs out.

Residents of the city sought refuge in Azaz, which is adjacent to the Euphrates Shield area and is under opposition control.

The terrorists started to accommodate Kurdish families in Tal Rifaat who they brought from Afrin.

Currently, around 15,000-20,000 Kurds and Arabs live in the district, only 700-800 of whom are Arab residents of Tal Rifaat.

President Erdogan’s message

Speaking at a ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party provincial congress on Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “God willing, we will achieve this operation’s goal by taking control of Tal Rifaat within short order.”

On Saturday, Syrian residents of Tal Rifaat staged a rally to demand a Turkish military operation against the YPG/PKK terrorist group in the city.