{"id":11406,"date":"2018-03-24T19:52:21","date_gmt":"2018-03-24T19:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/03\/24\/turkish-army-and-allies-in-total-control-of-syrias-afrin\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:34:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:34:36","slug":"turkish-army-and-allies-in-total-control-of-syrias-afrin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/24\/turkish-army-and-allies-in-total-control-of-syrias-afrin\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkish army and allies in &#8216;total control&#8217; of Syria&#8217;s Afrin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AFRIN, Syria \u2014 The Turkish army and Syrian opposition fighters it backs have \u201ctotal control\u201d of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northern Syria, according to the country\u2019s official news agency on Saturday, nearly a week after they captured the main town that carries the same name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anadolu news agency said the Turkish military was continuing its sweep for mines and explosives to allow Afrin\u2019s resident\u2019s to return, following airstrikes and clashes with Syrian Kurdish forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Associated Press journalists on a press tour organized by the Turkish government Saturday passed through the northwestern town of Jinderes en route to central Afrin.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/22\/us-forces-remain-in-manbij-despite-threats-from-turkey\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18038621590692.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US forces remain in Manbij, despite threats from Turkey<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Turkish officials are threatening to seize control of the Syrian town of Manbij, where U.S. troops continue to support anti-ISIS operations.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jinderes, captured by Turkey and allied Syrian opposition fighters, was the scene of heavy street clashes earlier in March. The AP saw a widely destroyed and empty town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkey launched a ground and air offensive on Jan. 20 codenamed Olive Branch to oust the main Syrian Kurdish militia known as the People\u2019s Protection Units, or YPG, from Afrin. Turkey considers the YPG a terror group and an extension of Kurdish rebels waging an insurgency within its own borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18083562361348.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18083562361348.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18083562361348.jpg.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18083562361348.jpg.jpg?resize=768,402 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18083562361348.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,536 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A child runs in the damaged street in the outskirts of the northwestern city of Afrin, Syria, during a Turkish government-organised media tour into northern Syria, Saturday, March 24, 2018. (Lefteris Pitarakis\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Syrian Kurdish officials and the country\u2019s state media said the Turkish offensive displaced more than 200,000 people from their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Afrin\u2019s town center, captured Sunday, allied Syrian forces patrolled the streets as Turkish tanks and armored personnel carriers drove past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ismail Montaser Billah, a Syrian fighter, said the YPG withdrew from Afrin after resisting the offensive. \u201cThey had left mines but thank God we took (the town) and we will step on their heads God willing,\u201d he said. Turkish and Syrian opposition flags were flying in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/18\/turkey-says-its-forces-have-seized-the-syrian-town-of-afrin\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"251\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18077394073302.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Turkey says its forces have seized the Syrian town of Afrin<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Turkey&#039;s president said Sunday the Turkish military and allied Syrian forces have taken &quot;total&quot; control of the town center of Afrin, the target of a nearly two-month-old offensive against a Syrian Kurdish militia, which said fighting was still underway.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Civilians, including women and children, were out and about in central Afrin. Abdul-Rahman Mohammed, a civilian, said the YPG mistreated locals who did not cooperate with them. \u201cWe are suffering because of a lack of food and water,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Turkish Red Crescent distributed food and aid in Afrin. Kerem Kinik, the organization\u2019s president, said some 100,000 civilians remained in and around Afrin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Turkish army and Syrian opposition fighters it backs have \u201ctotal control\u201d of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northern Syria, according to the country\u2019s official news agency on Saturday, nearly a week after they captured the main town that carries the same name.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":26316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[8,12],"tags":[],"coauthors":[4912,4914],"class_list":["post-11406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flashpoints","category-news"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"EQB7MA6KHVALZEH232KQ3N3AYQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/24\/turkish-army-and-allies-in-total-control-of-syrias-afrin\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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\/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Turkish army and allies in &#039;total control&#039; of Syria&#039;s Afrin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Turkish army and Syrian opposition fighters it backs have \u201ctotal control\u201d of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northern Syria, according to the country\u2019s official news agency on Saturday, nearly a week after they captured the main town that carries the same name.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/24\/turkish-army-and-allies-in-total-control-of-syrias-afrin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-24T19:52:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T01:34:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lefteris Pitarakis, The Associated Press, Mehmet Guzel, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta 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