Turkish army, FSA secure entrances to Syria's Afrin

By Burak Karacaoglu, Eshref Musa Selen Temizer

AFRIN, Syria

Turkish troops and the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which liberated Syria's Afrin from terrorists as part of Operation Olive Branch, have established control points with a view to protecting local civilians and preventing the return of terrorists to the region.

Some media reports have claimed that the Turkish military and the FSA have prevented civilians from returning to Afrin and that they were mistreating civilians and taking bribes from returning refugees.

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said in a report released on Apr. 9 that civilians coming back to Afrin were being forced to pay large bribes.

Reports also claimed that returning civilians lacked access to food, clean water medical supplies and that FSA fighters had looted homes and killed civilians.

Footage by Anadolu Agency at checkpoints set up in and around Afrin, however, plainly shows FSA fighters and Turkish soldiers freely allowing civilians to pass.

Every day, the Turkish army delivers 15,000 loaves of bread and clean water to Afrin’s civilian residents.

Control points

While Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) and the Turkish Red Crescent reach all villages of the region, Turkish soldiers are busily eliminating landmines planted in the region.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, local civilians spoke about security practices at the control points.

Muhamed Mustafa, an Afrin resident who is originally from the Jinderes area, says he enters and exits the city center each day.

“My brother died in Jinderes but has a house in Afrin. For three days, I’ve entered and exited Afrin. The control points set up by the Turkish army and the FSA are helping secure the area,” he said.

Mohamed Suleiman, another civilian from Jinderes, said he had no problems entering Afrin city.

“We came to Afrin today and there was no problem coming or going. Civilians are returning home unmolested. The Turkish military and the FSA are greeting those entering the city,” he said.

Halaf al-Doush, who is ferrying passengers from Idlib to Afrin, said the Turkish military was inspecting vehicles for security reasons.

“As long as you have the vehicle registration and the driver's name, nobody says anything,” he said.

A local resident of the Kefah Safra village said she can easily enter the center of her village.

“Thank God, the situation has become more secure,” she said.

“The control points have brought more security to the region and prevented theft,” she added. “I would like to thank the Turkish army, which I hope remains in the region.”

As a result of ditches dug by YPG/PKK terrorists, many water pipes have been damaged.

Thanks to Turkey’s Hatay Metropolitan Municipality, civilians in Afrin now receive clean water.

Local council

Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen civilians on Thursday established an interim local council in Afrin to provide local services.

To become a member of the council -- which was founded under the supervision of the Syrian Coalition of Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SMDK) -- one must be a citizen of Afrin.

Eleven members of the 20-seat council are Kurds, eight are Arabs and one is Turkmen.

President of the council, Zuheyr Haydar has called on all people of Afrin to return to their homes so that fresh local council elections might be held.

Afrin was recently liberated from terrorists by Turkish troops and FSA fighters as part of Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch.