According to the Anadolu news agency, the Turkish servicemen and the FSA troops loyal to Ankara have established control over two settlements in Afrin forming a crescent around the city of Afrin separating the Turkish territory and the area controlled by the Kurdish militias.
On January 20, Turkey announced the beginning of the operation Olive Branch against the Kurdish forces in Syria's northwestern Afrin district. The operation has been conducted jointly with the FSA opposition forces. Ankara considers the YPG to be linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey.
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Damascus has firmly condemned the operation as an assault on Syria's sovereignty. Moscow, in its turn, has urged all parties to exercise restraint and called for respect of Syria's territorial integrity.