Turkey has decided to open a new border crossing to the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin to speed up the delivery of humanitarian aid there, sources close to the issue told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.
The decision was taken in a meeting at the Prime Ministry which discussed facilitating humanitarian aid delivery to Afrin, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.
Turkey's Customs and Trade Ministry and the Hatay Governor's office in southern Turkey agreed to open the gate near the village of Hamam in Kumlu district.
A delegation including the deputy undersecretary of the ministry also visited the area to choose the proper location for the customs gate
The sources said construction of the gate would start very soon.
There are 10 land (seven permanent, three temporary) and three rail customs gates exist between Turkey. As of December 2017, seven customs gates are in operation, whereas three land and three rail gates remain closed.
The village is located near the town of Jandaris in Afrin district, which was liberated by Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters as part of Operation Olive Branch launched on Jan. 20 to clear PKK-linked People's Protection Units (YPG) and remaining Daesh terrorists from the area.
Turkish authorities stepped up humanitarian support to civilians in the town of Afrin after it was liberated on March 18 by Turkish-backed forces as part of Operation Olive Branch.
