Turkish Army Launches New Strikes on Syrian Kurds Day After Afrin Op Launched

The statement comes a day after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Ankara would target the PKK, which is banned as a terrorist organization in Turkey, not the Kurds in general.

Lavrov Denies Reports of Russian Troops' Withdrawal From Syria's Afrin

19 January 2018, 17:30 GMT

Turkey has been threatening to launch an operation in Afrin since last week after the US announced its decision to start training a border protection force composed of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), affiliated with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), considered to be a terrorist group by Turkey. The day before, the operation de facto started.

Later on, it was reported that the Turkish Armed Forces had shelled the YPG in Afrin, reportedly covering seven settlement, allegedly causing civilian casualties, with a 6-year old child among wounded.

Following the reported shelling Kurds in Syria's Afrin said, they would not allow the Turkish army to freely enter the city in case of a potential offensive by Ankara.

Earlier this week, thousands of them took to the streets in Afrin protesting against the Turkish invasion and calling for international assistance. Several rallies were also held across cities in northern Syria.