Syrian Kurds say they forced Turks to retreat from Afrin
During the course of persistent fighting, Syrian Kurds forced Turkish troops and pro-Turkish militant groups to retreat from their territory, said spokesman for Syrian Kurdistan in Moscow, Rodi Osman, RIA Novosti reports.
“Turkish forces and groups associated with them attempted to cross over to the territory of the Syrian city of Afrin, accompanied by aircraft and missile strikes. However, the Syrian Democratic Forces struck at five positions [Turkish soldiers and Syrian armed opposition]. In the Rajo District, SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) struck three positions, and two positions were hit in the Bilbil District,” said Rodi Osman.
As a result, Turkish military and pro-Turkish militants “had to retreat from the territory of Afrin,” the representative of the Syrian Kurds in Moscow said. “They left the areas which they had crossed into, as the Kurds struck and forced them to retreat,” said Osman.
According to Osman, ten Turkish soldiers and about 20 pro-Turkish rebels were killed during the fighting. “According to some reports, the bodies of 18 dead militants were brought to Azaz (a Syrian city under the control of the opposition),” said Osman.
As for the losses among civilians in Afrin, “the total number of dead civilians is currently 11, with 16 additional people wounded.”
On Sunday, the Turkish agency Anadolu reported that units of the Turkish Armed Forces and units of the opposition Free Syrian Army advanced five kilometers into Afrin without encountering much resistance from the Syrian Kurdish formations.