Syrian troops have safely arrived in Afrin
The convoy of the Syrian National Forces (SNA) has safely arrived in Afrin, the spokesman for the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) Reyzan Khedu told Sputnik.
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| This photo taken on February 20, 2018 shows a convoy of Syrian military vehicles entering the northern border of Afrin. |
Earlier President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the militia had retreated after coming under fire from Turkish artillery.
"Erdogan turned out to be a bad traffic cop when he said he had stopped the advance of the Syrian Forces, towards Afrin. His statement is completely wrong, the forces are already in Afrin," said spokesman Khedu.
He also announced that while reporting on the movement of the SNA convoy, dozens of journalists were caught in Turkish shelling at the Kurdish checkpoint at the entrance to Afrin.
According to him, the Kurds maintain regular contact with the Syrian army, Damascus and the government in Afrin.
"For 32 days we resisted Turkish aggression. They were able to advance in a number of positions, but overall the military operation was unsuccessful," Khedu added.
On January 20, 2018, Türkiye began Operation Olive Branch in Afrin against Kurdish militia. Ankara stressed that the action was aimed at neutralizing terrorists.
Damascus politicians condemned Türkiye's attack, calling it an "invasion".
