What happened in the Afrin, Shehba region yesterday?

While the "first test" of the Salafi gang groups who were transferred through the border by the Turkish state yesterday concluded with a fiasco in the Shehba region, Jaysh al-Thuwar and Jabhat al-Akrad retaliated against Turkish bases in al-Bab and Marea.

After the Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan signaled the attack to invade Afrin, the mobility that started in the region left a week behind. While the Turkish state is pushing forward its jihadist-salafi gangs that were trained in the cities of Hatay, Kilis and Antep for a long time, their friendship with Al Qaeda groups in Idlib also continued.

The Turkish state has publicized its policy of "exporting terror" to Syria with a 20-vehicle convoy which crossed into Syria yesterday from the Öncüpınar Border Crossing in Kilis. The buses full of gangs which were transferred to Azaz were put into action last night to be a source to Erdogan's cracking domestic "National Consensus" alliance.

Euphrates Shield groups which initiated attacks against the Shehba Region from al-Bab, Azaz and Marea encountered with the resistance of the Jaysh al-Thuwar and Jabhat al-Akrad fighters. While the attack on the Shehba Region's Hezwan and Ziwan villages were repelled, the Euphrates Shield groups, which left behind 4 dead and 5 wounded, had to retreat.

BLOW INFLICTED ON GANGS

Jaysh al-Thuwar and Jabhat al-Akrad fighters, who retaliated against the attack on Hezwan and Ziwan villages, targeted the Turkish army bases in the towns of Marea and al-Bab.

Military sources reported that they were unable to obtain definite information about the results of the action carried out against the Turkish base in the Şexaqil village northeast of al-Bab, while they confirmed that 2 gang members were killed and 12 others were wounded in action against the Tiwes village outpost east of al-Bab city.

However, local sources say that after the clashes, 5 ambulances from the Turkish base at al-Bab crossed from Rai (Çobanbey) city to the Turkish Kilis city.

MORTAR AND HOWITZER SHELLING CONTINUES

While howitzer and mortar shelling continued against the villages in Afrin's Rajo, Sherawa, Bilbile and Shiye districts from Turkish border outposts throughout yesterday, the Turkish troops positioned in the towns of Marea and Azaz shelled Aleppo's northern villages, the Herbel and Um El-Hosh villages, and the Tal Rifat town in Shehba.

Although some allegations have been made by the Turkish media, which had been campaigning against Afrin before Erdogan, regarding the attitude of the forces present in the region in connection with the news of conflict and attacks, these reports were denied both by the interlocutors and by the senior YPG officials we spoke to.

A senior YPG commander did not confirm the allegations from the news report stating that "Russian soldiers withdrew from Afrin" which Anadolu Agency (AA) had published.

YPG officials emphasized that they are prepared for each situation and are positioned to respond to all attacks.