FSA OPERATION ROOM ANNOUNCES IT’S READY TO SUPPORT TURKISH ARMY OPERATION IN AFRIN

Turkish troops. FILE IMAGE: AFP 2017/ BULENT KILIC

On October 6, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) operation room in the northern Aleppo countryside named “Ahel al-Dar” announced that it is ready to support the Turkish Army if it launches a military operation against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Afrin city in the northern Aleppo countryside.

Ahel al-Dar said in an official statement that its ready to exchange information and to work with the Turkish Army before or after “the zero hour” – the beginning of the attack. Ahel al-Dar also called all civilians in Afrin to move away from PKK positions in the city and around it.

Meanwhile, Syrian opposition sources reported that high ranked officers of the Turkish Army met with commanders of the FSA groups involved in Ankara’s Operation Euphrates Shield (ES) in the northern Aleppo countryside to discuss a possible military operation against the PKK in Afrin.

The sources said that commanders from Liwa’ Muetasim, the Hamza Division, the Sultan Murad Division and the al-Shamiyah Front attended the meeting. Furthermore, they argued that the military operation against Afrin will be separated from the upcoming military operation in Idlib governorate, and the two will not be launched in the same time.

In a related development, opposition activists reported that clashes broke out between unspecified Turkish-backed forces and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Kefer Selin village in the northern Idlib countryside. However, these claims are not yet confirmed.

Pro-HTS journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem who is now in Idlib governorate denied all the reports that claimed there is an agreement between HTS and Turkey. Furthermore, Abdul Kareem reported that Turkish bulldozers are removing the border wall in al-Hadd village in the northern Idlib countryside on the Syrian-Turkish border.

Abdul Kareem’s claims confirm that the Turkish Army is soon launching its military operation against HTS in Idlib governorate.

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