'Turkey has eliminated more than 2700 YPG fighters'

ankara - Turkey has neutralized 2777 fighters of the Kurdish YPG in the region of Afrin in northwestern Syria so far: the fighters have surrendered or are killed. That was reported by Turkish media.

The Turkish army began the offensive, Operation Olijftak, in Afrin on 20 January together with the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Ankara wants to prevent the Kurds in the enclave of Afrin along the Turkish border from making a connection with the much larger Kurdish area east of it.

Turkey sees the YPG as an extension of the PKK, the forbidden Kurdish organization, which Ankara sees as a terrorist movement. The country also says 'to protect Syrians against terrorist atrocities and oppression. '

Minister of Defense Nurettin Canikli said earlier that 41 Turkish soldiers and 116 fighters of the FSA have been killed since the start of the offensive.