Monitoring Desk
ANKARA: Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday 214 targets had been hit and destroyed so far during Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s Afrin area.
Speaking at a joint news conference with his Nigerien counterpart Brigi Rafini in capital Ankara, Yildirim said the operation was continuing as planned.
“214 targets were hit and neutralized. Clearing operations in the area are ongoing,” he said. The military generally uses the term “neutralize” to signify that targets were killed.
He added the operation would continue until the area was completely cleared of terror groups like the PYD/YPG/PKK and Daesh.
On Saturday, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to remove PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northwestern Syria, on Turkey’s border.
According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkish borders and the region as well as to protect the Syrian people 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, and its right to self-defense under the UN charter and respect for Syria’s territorial integrity, it said.
The military also said “utmost importance” is being placed on not harming any civilians.
Afrin has been a major hideout for the PYD/PKK since July 2012 when the Assad regime in Syria left the city to the terror group without putting up a fight.
Also, at least 287 PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and Daesh terrorists have been neutralized since the beginning of the Operation Olive Branch in Syria, Turkish General Staff said Wednesday.
Turkey on Saturday launched Operation Olive Branch to clear PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northwestern Syria.
Turkish authorities often use the word “neutralized” in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
In a statement, the military said Turkish Armed Forces had carried out airstrikes on the shelters, positions, arms and equipment of the terrorists between 9 a.m. (0600GMT) and 1.51 p.m. (1051GMT) on Wednesday.
Forty-seven terrorist targets were destroyed in total, the statement added.
According to the military, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkish borders and the region as well as protect Syrians from terrorist oppression and cruelty.
The military has also said that only terrorist targets are being destroyed and “utmost importance” is being put on not harming any civilians.
