Plans for Afrin operation started three months ago

Plans for the Operation Olive Branch launched in Syria’s northwestern district Afrin lasted for three months before being launched on Saturday.

İsmail Metin Temel, who is a 2nd Army Command General oversaw preparations that preceded the Afrin operation.

After the coordination and joint operation concept was put in place, the green light to start preparation was given three months before the start of Operation Olive Branch.

After receiving orders to start preparations for the operation, Temel frequently monitored the “extensively well-prepared” plans on the ground and was personally in charge of the preparations of Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) personnel and Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces.

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.

During that period, intel was collected from various sources including Drone footage, signal intelligence in coordination with the National Intelligence Agency and by the FSA on the ground.

Targets belonging to the PYD/PKK terrorist group, which range from mountainous and woody locations to caves, shelters and sanctuaries on the outskirts of residential areas, housing command centers and weapons and munitions depots, were individually identified by the National Intelligence Agency and the border observations posts.

After putting together all the information obtained by intelligence units, a wear-out phase was launched under the cover of artillery shelling and later on Saturday, an aerial operation began.

In accordance with their type, ammunition suited to each targeted was selected in order to efficiently destroy them.

Since the operation began, all identified targets were directly hit.

General Temel, following this coordination, gave the TAF and the FSA forces the order to “enter” the region in order to deal a final blow to all terrorist elements in the area.

The operation, which was repeatedly said that it might be launched “suddenly one night,” was then launched at daytime, catching baffled terrorists unprepared in many regions along the border.

Operation Olive Branch continues to astonish terrorists with its ongoing strategy.