ANKARA (Dispatches) – The Turkish army and its affiliated militants continued Operation Olive Branch in Northern Syria on Sunday, entering the strategic region of Jandaris in Afrin.
The Arabic service of Sputnik news agency quoted a field source as saying that the Ankara-backed militants, supported by heavy artillery fire of the Turkish army, have occupied major parts of Jandaris in Afrin.
Field sources also said that the Ankara-supported militants have gained control over the villages of Maskouteh and Samalkan as well as the village of Meidan Akbas in Rajou region and the village of Bandar Lik in Shangal region.
In a relevant development, a Kurdish media outlet reported on Sunday that over 40 Turkish military men and militants were killed and a large volume of their equipment were destroyed in Operation Olive Branch against the Kurds in Afrin region in northwestern Aleppo.
Turkish forces have been heavily bombing Afrin since early Saturday, killing a number of pro-government forces and destroying a drinking water tank in Jandaris in southwestern Afrin.
Syrians in Afrin staged a demonstration to protest against Turkey’s military operation in the northern border region.
The protesters chanted slogans against Ankara and held placards bearing the images of those killed in Turkish attacks.
In a statement released on Friday, Human Rights Watch criticized the Ankara government’s ongoing cross-border offensive in Afrin, saying that the Turkish military had failed to adopt necessary measures to avoid civilian casualties.