publish time

13/03/2018

author name Arab Times

publish time

13/03/2018

author name Arab Times
Turkish soldiers hold a position atop the Bursayah hill in the greater Afrin district, Syria, during a Turkish government-organised media tour into northern Syria, Saturday, March 3, 2018. Already in the sixth week of its offensive on the Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syria, Turkey wants to oust the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, from Afrin. It considers the group an extension of a Kurdish insurgency within its own borders
ANKARA, March 13 (Reuters) - Turkey's military and its rebel allies have encircled the northern Syrian town of Afrin, the Turkish armed forces said on Tuesday, marking as substantial advance in Turkey's offensive against Kurdish fighters across its southern border.In a statement, the military said it had also captured "areas of critical importance" in the region. On Monday, a Turkish government spokesman said the armed forces had gained control of more than half the area.