AFRIN: Hundreds of people attended funerals on Monday for casualties of a Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces in the Syrian border region of Afrin.

New civilian casualties were reported following the latest clashes and air strikes in the operation launched by Turkey and Syrian opposition fighters against Kurdish militia in north-western Syria.

Ankara, which considers the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria a “terror” group, has vowed to carry on and possibly expand the operation, launched on Jan 20, despite international concern and strained relations with Washington.

Civilians and fighters on Monday took turns to carry the coffins of 24 casualties past Afrin’s main hospital, accompanied by an angry crowd.

Turkish forces kept up air strikes and artillery fire on northern and western parts of Afrin, a predominantly Kurdish region, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

He said pro-Turkish forces had captured eight areas near the border since the start of the operation.

On Monday, Turkish forces erected barricades around their tanks and armoured vehicles on the hill. The operation’s commander General Ismail Metin Temel visited the site.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2018