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Conflict coverage · Syria

Türkiye takes Afrin — Operation Olive Branch

January – March 2018Key eventAfrin

MilitaryTerritorial changeHumanitarianTürkiye and northern Syria

Turkish forces and Turkish-backed Syrian factions take the Kurdish enclave of Afrin from the YPG; a large part of its Kurdish population is displaced, and documented abuses by the factions follow — property seizures and demographic change Kurdish organisations describe as systematic, which Türkiye denies.

Why it mattersAfrin is the Kurdish movement's core grievance against Türkiye and the factions — and the precedent invoked in every northeast negotiation since: what Turkish-controlled "security" can mean for Kurdish populations.
Confidence: HighSources: Established historical record · UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria↗MethodologyCorrections

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