In view of the possible military operation in Afrin mentioned by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara continues to strengthen its forces on the border with Syria, in the Turkish province of Hatay, reports the Turkish news agency Anadolu.
Military equipment, including 24 armored vehicles and military vehicles equipped with cell jammers, were transported to Reyhanlı District in Hatay, a Turkish province bordering Syria, Anadolu news agency reported.
Turkish military patrols night and day in the border area with the Syrian region of Afrin controlled by Kurdish militias of the People’s Protection Units (YPG). The surveillance of the border area is carried out using thermal cameras, specifies the agency.
On Monday, the Turkish President threatened to “kill in the bud” the border force that Washington wants to create in Syria , including Kurdish fighters whom Ankara considers “terrorists”. It is added that an operation in Afrin could be launched “at any time”.
The US-led coalition announced Sunday to work with its allies of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to form a new 30,000-strong border force, which is expected to be largely composed of Kurdish militiamen from Popular Protection Units (YPG), which provoked the wrath of Turkey.
YPG is considered by Ankara as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Turkish Kurdish separatist movement classified by Ankara on the list of terrorist organizations.
