Special Police of Turkey Credit: Anadolu
Turkey suffered heavy losses on Thursday during its invasion of Afrin with the military announcing that eight soldiers were killed and admitting 13 more wounded. The defenders reported 33 more deaths among the hired FSA mercenaries used by the Turkish state.
The day’s toll brings the number of Turkish soldiers killed since the launch of operation “Olive Branch” to at least 40.
The private Dogan news agency reported that intense fighting had broken out in the afternoon between invadingTurkish special forces units recently deployed in Afrin and YPG members, who mounted an ambush with the help of tunnels.
According to the report a Turkish helicopter sent to rescue the wounded had to turn back after being hit, while the area was shelled to allow the Turkish forces to flee.. the Kurdish forces damaged aCobra helicopter and destroyed at least two Turkish military vehicles in the Reco district on Thursday.
A member of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) takes part in a demonstration alongside Syrian-Kurds in the town of Amuda Credit: AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was informed of the incident during a visit to Senegal.
The defenders admitted that twenty-three YPG / YPJ fighters have died in the battles over the last 24 hours in Reco. Two columns of a hundred militiamen stormed in surprise the Turkish pro positions in response to the helicopter attack against Kurdish positions.
HoweverTurkish aviation, with Russian and Syrian flight permission and using NATO equipment, detected the tunnel where they fell back and performed a massacre.
An injured girl receives treatment at the Avrin hospital in the Kurdish-majority town of Afrin Credit: AFP
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The Free 