Free Syrian Army fights on front lines of Turkey's operation in Afrin
The FSA fighters in Operation Olive Branch are mainly the same factions that took part in the Turkey-backed mission launched in 2016 to drive Daesh from the border and prevent further expansion of the YPG.
Free Syrian Army fighters near the front line of Operation Olive Branch, northern Syria, January 25, 2018.
Close to 25,000 Free Syrian Army fighters have joined the Turkish military operation in northern Syria with the goal of recapturing towns and villages seized by the YPG almost two years ago.
Among them are Arabs, Kurds, and Turkmen. They say they represent the true spirit of the Syrian revolution and have come together to rid Syria's Afrin region of the YPG, which they consider no different than Daesh.
Ankara considers the YPG to be the Syrian wing of the PKK, a designated terrorist organisation, which has been waging a three-decade insurgency in Turkey leading to some 40,000 deaths.
Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on January 20 to sweep the YPG from its border with Syria.
TRT World's Ahmed al Burai reports from the front line of the ongoing operation in Syria's Afrin region.
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.