The Turkish army on Jan. 13 opened artillery fire on the US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) targets in northern Syria’s Afrin.
According to information gathered by state-run Anadolu news agency in Idlib, Turkish artillery units hit YPG forces from the Reyhanlı and Kırıkhan districts of Turkey's southern province Hatay and a Turkish Armed Forces observation point in Idlib at noon.
Idlib is one of four de-escalation zones in Syria covered by a deal meant to reduce the violence that was struck last year by Turkey, Russia and Iran.
Turkish Armed Forces fired at least 36 times during the artillery bombardment in Afrin's Bosoufane, Cindirese, Deir Bellout and Rajo districts.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke about the Afrin operation at the provincial congress meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the eastern province of Elazığ on Jan. 13.
"We are destroying the western wing of this corridor with the Idlib operation," Erdoğan said.
"In Manbij, if promises [of US on the withdrawal of YPG] given to us are not fulfilled, we will take the situation into our own hands, they will see what we will do in a week. If the terrorists in Afrin do not surrender, we will tear their heads off," he said.
According to Erdoğan, the United States sent 4,900 trucks and about 2,000 aircraft with weapons for YPG to Syria.
"This is not an alliance, you will give YPG weapons and talk about strategic partnership with us, nobody will swallow it. The US is engaged in self-deception, believing that cooperation with terrorists will not harm their national interests. Anyone who took a snake to his bed will face the consequences," Erdoğan said.
Earlier, Ankara had repeatedly condemned Washington for military support of YPG, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization associated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), banned in the country.
