All news

Turkey 'soon' will finalize operation in Syria's Afrin — Erdogan

Turkey's leader also said that "Turkey’s Armed Forces will follow the terrorists fleeing Afrin"
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan AP Photo/Hassene Dridi
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
© AP Photo/Hassene Dridi

ANKARA, January 21. /TASS/. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Sunday the republic's Armed Forces "soon" will finalize the operation in Syria's Afrin, the country's Yenisafak daily wrote.

"Our Armed Forces will finalize the operation in Afrin soon," the newspaper quoted the president as saying.

The president also said "Turkey’s Armed Forces will follow the terrorists fleeing Afrin."

Earlier on Sunday, the prime minister confirmed beginning of the republic’s military ground operation in Syria’s Afrin. The Anadolu agency reports the Turkish military are moving forward jointly with units of the Syrian Free Army, opposing the Syrian government.

On Saturday, Turkey’s General Staff announced beginning of the Olive Branch operation against the Kurds’ units near Afrin, where about 1.5 million Syrian Kurds live. Recent reports quote the Turkish Air Force have hit 153 targets in Afrin. According to Sky News Arabia, six civilians and three military were killed in the air strikes. The Turkish General Staff, however, insists all the killed and injured "are terrorists.".