Posted on 03/17/2018 9:47:32 PM PDT by Texas Fossil
Aleppo Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: Afrin area is witnessing Turkish aerial, artillery and rocket shelling, which did not calm down all last night, where the shelling targeted areas in Afrin city, its outskirts and its vicinity, in conjunction with ongoing displacement of citizens towards the towns of Nubl and Al-Zahraa, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the number of people displaced from Afrin city exceeded 150 thousand citizens who has been displaced since Wednesday night, the 14th of March 2018, towards the towns of Nubl and Al-Zahraa in the northern countryside of Aleppo city, controlled by gunmen loyal to the regime, amid continuous fears for the lives of the people stayed in the city, in conjunction with the continuation of the violent clashes between the YPG and the Self-Defense Forces against the rebel and Islamic factions and the Turkish forces, in areas in both northern and western entrances of Afrin city, where the forces of the “Olive Branch” Operation are continuing their attempts to advance into the area, amid exchange of targeting in the clash areas between the both parties.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published last night that the Turkish forces and their warplanes renewed their targeting for places in Afrin area, which is located in the northwestern sector of Aleppo Province, where the shelling targeted Afrin Hospital which is the only hospital in the city, and caused a massacre in and around the hospital, where at least 16 people were killed including 2 pregnant women, and others were injured with varying severity, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation, where it rose to 43 including 7 children and 2 pregnant women, the number of civilians who were killed today, Friday, 16th of March 2018, in Afrin city, raising to 270 including 43 children and 28 citizens, the number of civilians of the al-Kurds, Arabs and Armenians, who were killed in the Turkish aerial, artillery and missile shelling, and in executions against several citizens in Afrin area since the 20th of January 2018, also the shelling injured hundreds of citizens with varying severity, while it rose to 447 including 71 soldiers of the Turkish forces, the number of the members and fighters of the Turkish forces and the factions who were killed in the clashes against the Kurdish Units in Afrin area, while it rose to 429, the number of fighters of the YPG and the Self-Defense forces who were killed in the shelling and clashes in Afrin countryside, since the start of Operation “Olive Branch”, while 91 members at least of regime forces’ NDF were killed in the Turkish shelling since they started to enter on the 20th of February 2018.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday evening, that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the Turkish Forces advance and reaches the vicinity of Maabatli town “Mabata”, which is inhabited by Kurdish citizens of the Alawite sect, amid shelling targeted areas at the outskirts of town and its surroundings, with the continuation of Turkish shelling on Afrin city and its countryside of, amid overflights by Turkish warplanes in the sky of the area, while the displacement of citizens from Afrin city to the towns of Nubl and Zahra continue, in an attempt by civilians to reach these two towns which are control by fighters loyal to the regime, after the displacement of more than 35000 civilians during the past 48 hours, fleeing the city which suffers catastrophic humanitarian conditions, where the fear on lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Afrin city and connected villages continues, amid repeated calls by civilians through the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights to the international community to move and do something about the Turkish holocaust that began on Wednesday, the 14th of March 2018, by aerial and ground bombardment on Afrin city, where the areas that are connected to it still have no electricity, water and communications, and also suffer sharp decrease in the bread and fuel, while queues of civilians continue to line up in front of the only remaining bread furnace in Afrin city.
Look. None of this would be happening if Russia had not given Turkey the green light and opened the closed air space for Turkey.
This is part of a deal between Assad, Iran and Turkey. Assad’s SAA mouthpieces in Damascus have always been unreliable.
The reporter you are talking about cannot be in 2 places at a time. It is a very long way from Damascus and the pockets of al Qaeda and Efrin.
He cannot be in 2 places at a time.
Damascus news is not as bad as that in Turkey (all lies) but it is still state propaganda.
This is a very bad situation in Efrin. Kurds are very very tough soldiers. They won’t simply evacuate.
Kurdistan24.net is reporting Afrin has fallen.
Saying few skirmishes as ypg booked it out of there ahead of FSA/ Turkish fighters.
“Ivan Sidernko was a sniper of the U.S.S.R he was well known for his kills of 542 kills at the battle of Stalingrad.”
http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php/4377-Ivan-Sidorenko-Sniper-of-the-U-S-S-R
Odd name for a writer to assume.
K24 is a KRG news source. I know a writer there.
Kurdistan24.net?? I’ve never heard of it.
Still not buying it.
It may be 9:18 am in Syria, but here in TX, it’s past my bedtime. Night.
Looks like K24 and Kurdistan24.net are the same.
Saw nothing on K24 like what you said. Let me look at twitter.
I looked at K24 on Twitter, what is posing as K24 is Turk Propaganda.
All lies and BS.
Nothing on K24 coming out of the KRG.
It is likely that a full assault on Efrin is taking place. It will not fall this fast. I know them.
Yes, it is late, I need sleep too. 2:24 AM
AMN is certainly Assad Propaganda.
The assault may in fact have begun. Kurds with lay a trap for them. Just watch. They are not stupid. Very good at outsmarting FSA.
@k24English & @k24 are kurdistan24.net
https://mobile.twitter.com/K24/status/975268762260664320
Good Night for real now.
It is a fake Turkish propaganda site. Look at the top header. It is not real. only propaganda.
No doubt there are strong clashes in Efrin.
But this is not k24 for real.
Syrian Civil War
Yemen Civil War
Egyptian Civil War (Sinai)
Libyan Civil War
Iraqi Civil war
Afghanistan Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
Jordanian “Black September” almost civil war
Iranian unrest 1979, 2011, 2017, 2018
Turkish near coup and near civil war
Pakistan Civil War
Millions dead, millions maimed, millions of refugees, millions raped, million mutilated and what does the so-called “International Community” like the UN concern itself with?
CONDEMN ISRAEL...
That is where we’re at so, nobody cares unless the poor diddum PALEOstinians have their so-called “Rights” (to kill Jews) infringed.
This
The SAA is doing an efficient operation in E Ghouta and seem to have good momentum
The Russians are assisting militarily and politjcally in dismantling the jihadist cabal in Ghouta and the Syrians with Russian backing have opened a significant humanitarian corridor through which thousands of civilians have escaped jihadist areas
On the other hand who is really backing the Kurds I cannot say
Not willing or able to cooperate fully with the SAA - which may be their only real option
I say the Turks are our responsibility - not Russia’s or Iran’s
The Turks are our “ allies”, they are in NATO, we have military bases in their country
If we go after Turks to stop the invasion of Syria I dont see Russia objecting
They win either way if US and NATO breaks relations with Turkey or if we just stand by and watch our ally repeat its genocidal ways
But if we use Afrin as an excuse to go after Assad and the SAA trying to defend their territorial integrity and the alawite and Christian areas- then i see Russia intervening
If we made promises to the Kurds now is the time to figure out how to keep them, otherwise the Kurds need to really consider their other options
On the Kurds, I have been saying since September, “Take the deal” Assad offered. More recently, when offered help from SAA & SDF, they said,” no” to the SAA, but okay to SDF.
Syrians I follow are of the opinion that the Kurds would rather see Afrin burned to the ground, than to admit they cannot hold it.
“If I can’t have it, nobody can.” thinking by the Kurds.
Meanwhile, in Damascus, with the US threatening to bomb Damascus for the liberation of Ghouta, Russia has promised retaliation if the US interferes.
For my money, we need to get the hell out of Syria.
It is clear now. The defenders of Efrin did pull away from the city. To avoid the destruction and reduce loss of civilian lives. (I fear for the Ezidi, the Islamists will look for any reason to kill them. They don’t even need a reason)
Here is a statement posted by a reliable friend.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DYk8f87WAAEREc6.jpg
It is not an end to the conflict in Efrin, but an end to defending the city. A return to gorilla warfare.
Well it appears the Kurd “ burn Afrin to the ground instead of letting Assad occupy it” strategy may be their next option
The Turks are taking the town under the guise of it being occupied by “ Syrian forces” aka the skeevy “ FSA”
The Kurds are promising guerrilla war - back to the past. At least supporting them covertly under the guise of using them vs ISIS so as to not piss off Erdogan too much will buy added time and a cover story for our occupying forces in eastern Syria
https://apnews.com/amp/e3c4f37eaf96472ba5be8a2df479b4c4?__twitter_impression=true
Meanwhile, interesting pictures of Assad visiting his troops in E Ghouta today
The steadily diminishing jihadist rebels militia that havent settled terms to surrender or leave for Idlib are still appealing to the UN to broker a ceasefire to allow the evacuation of “sick and wounded’ but NOT “ able-bodied bodied Citizens”.
However the Syrians and Russians have set ceasefire zones in the non Al Qaeda areas and opened multiple evacuation corridors and tens of thousands of citizens are voluntarily evacuating to Syrian govt areas. Yet another humanitarian crisis for Syria but hopefully they clean out jihadis and let these people return home eventually
How did you expect Russia to “ close the airspace” to Turkey?
Turkey comes in after PKK claiming right to self defense, Russia shoots them down. Turkey invokes NATO charter of mutual defense in case one member is attacked. NATO ( US plus a couple British and French jets) set up no-fly zones over Syria to protect Turkey from “ Russian attack”.
As Admiral Akbar said “ It’s a TRAP!
Putin not taking the bait
No, that is not true. NATO defense is not credible justification for what Turkey did. No way NATO signed of on this butchery.
NATO is defensive, no obligation to support an invasion.
This is a deal between Russia, Turkey, Iran and Assad. They get their pipeline and begin to pressure US out of Syria.
ISIS will reform under Erdogan. He is importing Chinese Muslims into Efrin. He will build an Islamist state within Syria.
Either Erdogan is stopped now, or he will grab every moving piece of real estate around Turkey.
The defenders of Efrin acted to minimize civilian deaths. There have already been beheadings in Efrin for those who refused to obey the Jihadi’s. The rape, murder and pillage has only begun.
God help those trying to escape and survive. How many Ezidi will escape this? Alevi? Christian?
No Communications are coming out of Efrin. Blood will run in the streets, unreported.
All that will come out of Turkey is more Turk State Approved Propaganda.
Headshake. I am physically ill just thinking about it.
You miss my point.
The moment Russia shoots at Turks -even Turks killing Kurds in Syria- Erdogan cries for NATO
Which is poised in the eastern Med just waiting for an excuse to attack Russia in Syria
Putin is not going to defend the Kurds with air cover vs Turkey. Cause if he does he’s fooked.
The US is not going to defend the Kurds with air cover because face it. We need Turkey a lot more than we need Rojava
The Kurds could have made a deal with Assad and lived ( in their own villages) to fight another day even in the political arena
Now not so much
Question is how and how much longer they will risk themselves to fight a US war vs IS away from their own tribal areas
>>
“We need Turkey a lot more than we need Rojava”>>
Turkey is NOT AN ALLY. If Erdogan remains, Turkey will leave NATO. Should be expelled, but no current mechanism.
>>
“The Kurds could have made a deal with Assad and lived ( in their own villages) to fight another day even in the political arena)”>>
You obviously did not see the “terms”, total disarmed at Assad mercy? Under Iran Militia? Not terms at all.
No, the Kurds made their decisions. The world watched as they did with Hitler’s rise. Now many will die. Most of the Ezidi that did not escape will be killed outright. Or made sex slaves.
The rest? At the whims of the Jihadis. (ISIS and al Qaeda)
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