16 March 2018•Update: 16 March 2018
By Halil Fidan and Behcet Alkan
AFRIN, Syria
in Syria's northwestern Afrin are excited to return home after Turkish military and Free Syrian Army (FSA) cleared their villages and districts of YPG/PKK terrorists.
Cars loaded with Kurdish and Arab families are on their way home. They are being assisted by the Turkish army and FSA.
A large number of civilians flocked to Sheran district, northeast of Afrin city, which is one of the liberated areas.
Aziz Ahmed, one of the many Syrian Kurds who suffered persecution by YPG/PKK, said: “Thank God our region is cleared from terrorism. We believe that from now on everything is going to be all right."
He said the YPG/PKK forced civilians, including women to take up arms, punishing those who resisted, including himself.
“When the terrorists were here they constantly persecuted people. I was arrested several times as I opposed them but I managed to escape,” he added.
“When the operation [Olive Branch] started the terrorists gave us weapons and forced us to fight but we did not accept it,” he said.
Using civilians as human shields
Ahmed said that the civilians were waiting for a long time to be liberated and were happy when they heard about Operation Olive Branch.
“The Turkish soldiers came and saved us from these tyrants and gave us food aid. We cannot thank them enough for this,” he added.
Ahmed said that the terrorists have prevented civilians from leaving the besieged Afrin city center, using them as human shields against the Turkish Armed Forces.
“Right now we have relatives who want to get out of there, but the terrorists do not allow them to leave and fire bullets on them and surround them because they know that Turkey would not shoot civilians. This is why they use civilians to protect themselves," he said.
Musalli, 67, a Syrian Kurdish, said she is living in peace after the Turkish army liberated her village.
“We hope that Afrin will be rescued as soon as possible. We have relatives there and are scared the terrorists will harm them,” Musalli said.
Uday , who is preparing to return to her home in the village of Qibar, also said the terrorists wanted to use them as human shields.
210 villages liberated
Since the launch of the operation, the Turkish military and FSA have liberated 253 locations, including 210 villages and 43 strategic mountains and hills.
On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear YPG/PKK-Daesh terrorists from Afrin.
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 terrorist oppression and cruelty.
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 "utmost care" is being taken to avoid harming civilians.
