Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said Monday Ankara did not make promises to Russia or other states that it would limit its ongoing offensive, known as the Olive Branch operation, in Syria to Afrin.
Bozdag also stated that Turkey had warned about the start of the offensive prior to the beginning of the operation.
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The General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces announced the launch of the operation Olive Branch on January 20. It's stated aim is to eradicate the Kurdish armed groups in Afrin, home to about 1.5 million Syrian Kurds.
Commenting on the civilian casualties, Bozdag pointed out that Ankara is doing its upmost to avoid deaths among civilians during the operation and said that no civilians were killed.
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According to Prime Minister Yildirim, Ankara hopes to conclude the Afrin operation in four stages, with the final goal of creating the 30-kilometer security zone on the Turkish-Syrian border.