Syrian rebels enter Afrin

istanbul - Syrian rebels with the support of Turkish troops entered the city of Afrin in the northwest of Syria shortly before sunrise. They took control of parts of it after the Kurdish YPG troops had withdrawn, said a spokesman for the rebel fighters of the Free Syrian Army.

According to the spokesman, the fighters did not encounter any resistance. It is a crucial moment in the two-month Turkish campaign to expel US-backed Kurdish fighters from the border area.

Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said that the center of Afrin was now 'completely under control' and that Turkish flags were hoisted in the northern Syrian city.

More than 150,000 people have been driven away from their homes in Afrin by the Turkish offensive, said a Kurdish official on Saturday.

Turkey wants to reduce the YPG, which dominates large parts of northern Syria. Turkey regards the YPG as an extension of the PKK terrorist movement. The US supports the Kurdish fighters in connection with the fight against Islamic State.