Special police, gendarmerie forces join Turkey's Afrin operation

Special Task Forces from the police and gendarmerie have begun supporting the ongoing operation in the Afrin region, according to a security source yesterday.

Special forces personnel, who are capable of carrying out joint operations and urban warfare, conducted search operations in villages liberated by the Turkish army and Free Syrian Army fighters from the YPG/PKK terrorist group, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

Some of the special forces units were also stationed in the villages to prevent terrorists from infiltrating. In rural areas of Afrin, the special forces were conducting 24-hour surveillance through night-vision binoculars.

Police and gendarmerie special forces, some of which were stationed near the towns of Jinderes and Raju in Afrin, will undertake important duties during the operation in Afrin's city center, which is expected to be launched in the upcoming days. Both police and gendarmerie special forces gained significant experiences of urban warfare during counter-terrorism operations in the southeastern Turkish cities of Silopi, Cizre, Idil, Yuksekova, Nusaybin and Sirnak in 2016.

The inclusion of the special forces is expected to accelerate the Turkish army's advance into Afrin's city center, the source added.