Turkey has deployed a special forces unit into the territory of Afrin, northern Syria, to prepare for a new war against Kurdish militia. Ankara said the ceasefire ordered by the UN Security Council across Syria would not affect its military operations.
Turkish special forces crossed into Syria from Kilis and Hatay provinces in southern Turkey. They are expected to be housed in villages captured by Turkish forces from the Kurdish Kurdish People Protection Unit (YPG) since a military operation under the code name "Operation Olive Branch" was launched six weeks ago.
"Deploying special forces is part of the preparation for an approaching new fight," Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag told NTV, a Turkish television station.
"The fight will shift to places where there are civilians, because the area (the fighting) narrows," he said.
He added that Turkish special forces units had experience in fighting militants in residential areas.
Although Turkish military operations have entered the sixth week, most of the major cities in the Kurdish enclave, including the town of Afrin itself, remain under the control of YPG. However, according to local media reports, Turkish forces expelled the Kurdish militia from all territories bordering Turkey.
On February 20, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that troops would besiege Afrin in the coming days.
Operation Olive Branch will continue despite a UN Security Council resolution ordering a ceasefire across Syria for 30 days. The resolution was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on Saturday last week. However, the ceasefire does not apply to ISIS, Al-Nusra, or other terrorist organizations.
Ankara believes the exception also applies to Kurdish militias. "When we look at UN Security Council resolutions, we see that fighting terror organizations is out of reach. Therefore, it will not affect Turkey's ongoing operations, "Bozdag said, as quoted by Anadolu, Tuesday (27/2/2018).
The Turkish military began its operation against YPG, a Kurdish-led militia, considered to be the PKK's wing, an armed movement declared by Ankara to be a terrorist organization.
YPG controlled several enclaves in northern Syria, including Afrin and secured territory from extremist groups during the Syrian conflict.
Turkish General Staff on Monday said the number of "terrorists" that Turkish troops had neutralized during the military operation in Africa reached 2,059 people. Ankara also confirmed that the attack was solely aimed at removing terrorists, denying allegations that it had targeted civilians.
The Turkish military operation has raised tensions between Ankara and Damascus. The Syrian government has repeatedly condemned the operation as a violation of the country's sovereignty and accused Ankara of aggression against Syrians.
