Four civilians were wounded in an attack by the terrorists of PKK's Syrian affiliate YPG in northwestern Syria's Afrin Wednesday, which was liberated in 2018 during Turkey's Operation Olive Branch.
The attack was orchestrated from Tal Rifaat, which is under occupation by PKK-linked groups and is being used to attack civilian areas under control of Turkish-backed Syrian opposition groups. Multiple rocket launchers were used in the attack against civilians.
The YPG terrorist group occupied Tal Rifaat in 2016 in hopes of linking Afrin, a city in northwestern Syria, to areas under its control east of the Euphrates River, thus establishing a zone of influence along Syria's border with Turkey. However, the Syrian district of al-Bab, which is located between Tal Rifaat and Manbij, falls within the area of operations of Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield, a cross-border offensive launched in August 2016, thus disrupting the YPG's sought-after territorial link.
In January 2018, the Turkish military and FSA fighters launched Operation Olive Branch to clear Afrin of terrorist groups, liberating the town center in March. Some 250,000 refugees from Tal Rifaat and its outskirts have taken up temporary residence in the opposition-held city of Azaz, located adjacent to the Euphrates Shield zone.
Following the operations, Turkey has also been involved in rebuilding infrastructure as well as health and educational institutions in the region. Schools are being renovated and hospitals are being built. Turkey has also helped locals build olive oil facilities in the town where agriculture is the main source of income for residents in Afrin. Thanks to the success of both operations and post-operation developments in the liberated areas, the number of refugees returning to their hometowns has increased in recent years.
