Turkish Op in Afrin is Part of Ankara's Strategy to Support Terrorists - Assad

Sputnik News

15:47 21.01.2018(updated 16:56 21.01.2018)

According to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Turkish offensive in Afrin is part of Ankara's strategy based on supporting terrorists.

"Turkey's brutal attack against the Syrian city of Afrin is inseparable from Turkey policy, that was pursued by the Turkish regime since the first day of the Syrian crisis and which is based for the most part on supporting terrorism and terrorist groups under different names," Assad was quoted as saying by the SANA news agency.

The statement of the Syrian leader comes in wake of reports, saying that Turkish tanks entered Syrian Afrin, backing the offensive of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) armed opposition group on the positions of Kurdish militia.

Reports emerged a day after the Turkish General Staff had declared the launch of the operation dubbed Olive Branch against the Kurdish forces in Afrin. The operation started at 14:00 GMT and over 70 Turkish warplanes conducted airstrikes in seven districts of Afrin, where 108 targets out of 113 were destroyed. The military operation has already been condemned by Damascus with the Syrian Foreign Ministry calling the act a violation of Syrian sovereignty.

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