Significance of Operation Olive Branch summarized in five points

Operation Olive Branch 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. The operation is being carried out under the framework of Turkey’s rights based on international law, UN Security Council resolutions, its self-defense rights under the UN charter, and respect for Syria's territorial integrity, it said. The military also said it is putting the "utmost importance" on not harming any civilians.

Afrin is a district as well as a city in northern Syria, and is part of the Aleppo Governorate. Before the war, it had a population of approximately 500,000, but the current population is unknown. There is a total of 360 villages in Afrin. As it is located near border gates, Afrin boasts geopolitical importance. Afrin is positioned in northwest Syria, and is very close to the Turkish border.

The symbol of Afrin is the olive tree. As a result of its Mediterranean climate, Afrin is known for its olives, and its industry comes from the olive and its by-products. Aleppo soap is another significant source of income. However, these resources have become unusable because of the war. As a result of the pressure imposed by terrorist organizations such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s Syrian offshoot, the PYD, locals were exiled from the region and experienced difficulty in their life conditions.

Prior to the war, Afrin was a town comprised mostly of Arabs. Turkmens and Kurds were also a significant part of the demographics. Afrin is a place with high traffic because it is a commercially important region. But after 2014, terrorists from the PYD/PKK were brought from Iraq and other regions and started to increase in number in Afrin. In January 2014, the terrorist organization PKK/PYD declared autonomy with the support of the U.S. in the region. The PKK/PYD caused the Turkmens and Arabs in the region to leave as a result of their racist attitude.

Afrin is important for Turkey because Ankara opposes the terror corridor trying to be established on the northern Syrian border.

The district was important for Daesh because prior to August 2016, Afrin was used for terrorist reinforcements.

Afrin is important for the U.S. and the PYD/PKK because it holds geographical significance in order to join cantons and reach the Mediterranean. Furthermore, the U.S., which aims to target Turkey from the south, is using the PYD/PKK to reach its goals in the region.

It is important for the Syrian regime and its biggest supporter, Russia, because border districts like Afrin must be controlled in order to govern over the whole of Syria.

In 2012, PKK ringleader Abdullah Öcalan ordered the Syrian offshoot, the PYD, to be established. There are approximately 8,000-10,000 terrorists in Afrin. The PYD/PKK is targeting Turkey using mortar attacks, just as Daesh did. The terrorist organization transports terrorists and arms to the Turkey via the Amanos Mountains from Afrin.

PKK members who receive training in the PYD/PKK-occupied area conduct attacks once they infiltrate Turkey from the border district. As a result of terror attacks in Turkey in 2015 and 2016, 14,286 people were killed. The PKK received the biggest logistical and terrorist support between 2015 and 2016 from places under the control of the PYD/PKK.

As a result of the PYD/PKK’s oppression, 350,000 Syrian Kurds fled to Turkey. Approximately 65 percent of the Syria-Turkey border is under the terrorist organization’s control. The PYD/PKK aims to advance from Afrin to the Mediterranean with the help of the U.S. to anchor itself on the world stage. The PYD/PKK threatens the Euphrates Shield region which was cleared of Daesh terrorists.

Operation Olive Branch was initiated with an air attack on Jan. 20 in Afrin by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF). Turkish warplanes struck PYD/PKK positions in Afrin. Some factions tied to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) supported the TAF by entering some PYD/PKK-occupied regions.

According to Resul Serdar Ataş, the operation will go through four stages:

YPG targets will come under heavy fire from Turkish territories.
TAF-backed FSA forces will start at a zero point within Syria and continue into central Afrin by clearing the area riddled with mines
Evacuation paths will be cleared for civilians
Intense clashes within the city

Dr. Can Kasapoğlu, a War Studies and Security Studies scholar and military analyst at the Economics and Foreign Politics Center (EDAM) believes the Afrin operation could prevent future national security issues. Dr. Kasapoğlu said the operation carries crucial importance considering Turkey’s role in the Syria equation.

“Afrin is necessary, because it may prevent a more dire national security problem in the future,” he said.