Turkish warplanes hit pro-Syrian govt forces in Afrin, kill 36

BEIRUT: Turkish warplanes struck pro-Syrian government forces in the northwestern Afrin region of Syria on Saturday, killing at least 36 of them, as Turkey´s assault in the Kurdish region gathered pace, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The pro-Syrian government forces entered Afrin last week in support of the Kurdish YPG militia, the stated target of the operation launched by Turkey and allied Syrian rebel fighters in January.

The Observatory said the air strike, which hit a camp in Kafr Jina, marked the third time in 48 hours that Turkish warplanes had struck pro-government forces in Afrin.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a YPG-led militia alliance, said in a statement that Turkish air strikes had targeted positions held by the Syrian army´s “popular forces” from 5 am. It did not say where or give a death toll. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his country´s forces had captured the town of Rajo from militants.

The Observatory said the Turkish army was in control of about 70 percent of the town, about 25 km (16 miles) northwest of Afrin city.

The SDF statement said a group of Turkish forces and allied Syrian factions had infiltrated Rajo, where it said clashes were continuing between SDF forces and the attackers.

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers´ Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey and is deemed a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and Turkey.

The YPG has been an important ally for the United States in the fight against Islamic State.

Greece not planning soldier exchange: Greece is not planning to exchange two soldiers held by Turkey after illegally entering the country with eight Turkish soldiers who seek asylum in Greece, the Greek junior foreign minister said Saturday.

“This is pure fantasy. We are not at war with Turkey to conduct an exchange of prisoners,” junior minister Yiorgos Katrougalos told reporters on Saturday, adding that such “spy stories” originated in Turkish media reports. “This is not an unusual episode. Such incidents occur on the border,” he said, according to state agency ANA.

Two Greek soldiers were arrested by a Turkish border patrol inside Turkish territory on Thursday. The Greek army said the pair, a lieutenant and a sergeant, lost their way in poor weather while patrolling the area around the Evros river that separates the two countries. ANA said the soldiers, who are held at Edirne, will be put on trial on Monday. Athens insists that they will be tried for illegal entry in a restricted area, but Turkish state agency Anadolu has reported that attempted military espionage is among the charges. Greek government spokesperson Dimitris Tzanakopoulos on Friday said that the case was one of “illegal entry” and said Athens expected the “imminent return” of the two Greek officers. The incident risks exacerbating tensions between Ankara and Athens, who have come to the brink of war on several occasions in past decades, despite being NATO allies since 1952.

Turkish and Greek vessels have in the last weeks twice collided off Aegean islets that have been a historic flashpoint in a long-running demarcation dispute.