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Conflict in Syria

Turkey’s bombers hit 108 targets of 113 designated in Syria’s Afrin

All the killed and wounded people are members of terrorist groups, said the Turkish General Staff

© AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis

ANKARA, January 20. /TASS/. Turkey’s bombers have hit 108 targets out of 113 designated in the Syrian area of Afrin, Turkish General Staff said on Saturday.

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"Out of 113 designated targets of the Democratic Union Party, Kurdish Syrian terrorist group, 108 have been destroyed as of 18:30 [15:30 GMT]. All the killed and wounded people, who have been sent to hospitals, are members of terrorist groups," said the Turkish General Staff in a statement quoted by Anadolu news agency.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Moscow was concerned about the beginning of Turkey’s offensive in Afrin and urged the warring sides to exercise restraint.

On Saturday, Turkey’s General Staff declared the launch of Operation Olive Branch against Kurdish units from Self-Defense Forces and Democratic Union Party in Afrin, home to 1.5 million Syrian Kurds. Ankara says that these two groups are affiliates of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) recognized as terrorist in Turkey.

The CNN Turk reported earlier that eight Turkish fighter jets F-16 took off from the Diyarbak·r air base to bomb Kurds’ position.

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