200,000 flee Afrin amid reported deadly strikes in Turkish offensive
Strike
Istanbul, March 17, 2018 (dpa/NAN)At least 200,000 people have fled this week from the Kurdish-held city of Afrin in northern Syria as Turkish troops and allied rebels press on with a two-month offensive in the region, a monitoring group reported on Saturday.
Inhabitants of Afrin, the capital city of an enclave of the same name, were fleeing towards safer areas in Syria’s northern province of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Britain-based watchdog added that most of the displaced were facing a “catastrophic” humanitarian situation, lacking essential needs.
Syrian forces were barring the escapees from entering the government-controlled city of Aleppo, according to the Observatory.
There was no immediate comment from Damascus on the report.
On January 20, Turkey and allied rebels started a major operation against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the region of Afrin near the Turkish border.
Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist organization linked to outlawed Kurdish insurgents on its territory.
This week, Turkey stepped up its shelling and air attacks on Afrin amid reports of civilian deaths.
At least 11 civilians were killed by Turkish airstrikes on Saturday while they were attempting to flee the city of Afrin, the Observatory said.
On Friday, the monitor said that 16 civilians, including two pregnant women, had been killed in an alleged Turkish bombardment on Afrin city’s hospital. Ankara has denied the allegation.
The Turkish military released drone footage, which it said showed the hospital was not hit. The video showed a building from two sides, and what is visible is intact.
“Operation Olive Branch is being conducted in a manner that does not harm civilians/innocents and the surroundings,” the army wrote on Twitter, referring to its campaign targeting Afrin.
However, Kurdish sources said the Turkish video focused on the wrong building, while one of the still images the military released shows a nearby building whose roof has been hit by shelling.
The Kurds said this was the hospital that was hit.
A hospital source said that heavy Turkish shelling hit the only hospital in the Syrian city of Afrin, killing at least 16 people and wounding dozens of others. (dpa/NAN)
IAA/AFA
Edited by Felix Ajide
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