Turkish officials rejected allegations of civilian casualties during Operation Olive Branch in Afrin by saying the offensive is carried out under the utmost sensitivity to prevent collateral damage. Responding to allegations that "civilians have been killed in Afrin and people cannot return to their homes because of violence," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday that the claims are disproven by Turkey's legitimate fight against terrorists who are "unfazed by the killings of hundreds of women, children, and civilians every day in Eastern Ghouta." "If we had not distinguished civilians from the terrorists, the Afrin operation would have already finished," President Erdoğan said at a meeting with the provincial heads of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara, pointing that Turkey has been paying the utmost attention to avoid civilian casualties.
Regarding the issue, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ highlighted Thursday during a televised interview with Anadolu Agency (AA) that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are ensuring that civilians are not harmed during the operation.
"To date, no civilians have died or even been hurt in TSK operations," Bozdağ underlined.
President Erdoğan also said the TSK and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) are to proceed faster as the strategic hills in the region were cleared from terrorists and stressed that the operation will continue under a new strategy when Afrin's city center is encircled.
"The operation will continue under a new strategy after the Afrin city center is surrounded as soon as possible and the terrorists are cut off from outside contact," he said.
Operation Olive Branch was launched on Jan. 20 with an aim of securing Turkey's southern borders from terrorist threats targeting the country as its NATO ally and preventing the forming of a terror corridor by the PKK's Syrian branch, the People's Protection Units (YPG).
Commenting on the criticism over Turkey's Afrin operation by some NATO allies, President Erdoğan said, "What upsets us the most is the hypocrisy and recklessness presented by some countries that we consider allies and have deep relations in the fields of politics and military."
In relation to Turkey's ongoing Afrin operation, the U.S. has been calling on Turkey to show restraint and claims that the operation is a distraction from the fight against Daesh. Ankara responded to the remarks saying that Turkey has been using its right to self-defense and protecting its southern borders, which are also NATO's southern borders.
Washington also admitted to the presence of U.S.-allied forces in Afrin against the TSK. U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said Thursday that "some of the forces [YPG/PKK] that we're working with in the east, we are seeing [that they're] starting to go to Afrin." Speaking at a press conference, Nauert said those forces that the U.S. was working with "have familial relations, familial ties there, perhaps that's part of the reason why."
Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told Daily Sabah in an email that the U.S. is "very concerned" about the situation in northwest Syria and calls on all parties to "remain focused on defeating Daesh, de-escalating and resolving the Syrian conflict, and protecting innocent civilians."
Meanwhile, the Turkish military fired "warning shots" early Friday against a convoy of 30-40 vehicles carrying YPG terrorists and weaponry into northern Syria's Afrin. Military sources said an unmanned aerial vehicle detected the convoy attempting to enter Afrin from the Jazirah district. On Wednesday, Turkey carried out warning strikes near Afrin after pro-Syrian government forces tried to enter the region to support YPG forces. The convoy of 40-50 vehicles retreated after the artillery fire. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned that the forces will face "serious consequences" and they will be regarded as legitimate targets.
