Turkey's Operation Olive Branch directed only against terror groups: Presidential spox

Turkey's Presidential Spokesman İbrahim Kalın said on Tuesday that the Operation Olive Branch launched by Turkey in Syria's Afrin is only directed against terror groups, pointing that it does not target any ethnic group.

“Our sensitivity to distinguish terrorist elements from civilians is at an optimum level, as it always has been in each operation we have conducted,” he said, in a statement issued following a security meeting at the presidential complex in capital Ankara.

In a statement issued following a security meeting at the presidential complex in capital Ankara, Kalın reiterated that Turkey’s priority during the operation is to maintain security at its borders and secure the life and property of its citizens.

Kalın also warned the media and public of a disinformation campaign on Turkey’s ongoing operation in Afrin.

“We call on the public, especially the media, to be cautious against the provocative news, images, and rumors which have false, sham, and distorted contents.”

The operation was initiated on Jan. 20 in Afrin to establish security and stability, eliminate PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and Daesh terrorists, and save locals from their oppression and cruelty.

Turkey's Operation Olive Branch is carried out against the PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and Daesh terrorist groups under the framework of Turkey’s rights based on international law, UN Security Council’s decisions and self-defense right under UN charter.

The PYD/PKK is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist group, which has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.

Since the mid-1980s, the PKK has waged a wide-ranging terror campaign against the Turkish state in which an estimated 40,000 people have been killed.