Turkish-led forces entered the northwest Syrian city of Afrin on Sunday morning, claiming victory in a weeks-long campaign against US-allied Kurds.

"Most of the terrorists have already fled with tails between their legs," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a ceremony marking the 103rd anniversary of World War I's Battle of Gallipoli, a Turkish victory laden with symbolic and political weight.

"In the center of Afrin, symbols of trust and stability are waving instead of rags of terrorists," Erdogan said.



Turkey's army likewise said in a statement that the town is now under the "complete control" of it and its allies. The Turkish Armed Forces sent out a video on its Twitter account showing tanks and other vehicles rolling through a relatively untouched city, remarkable given the destruction seen in contested Syrian cities like Raqqa and Aleppo. Both were reduced to near rubble in fighting between the Syrian regime and rebel forces or against ISIS.

In one video, a soldier can be seen holding a flag in the middle of the city and declaring, "This is a gift from the Turkish Armed Forces to the great Turkish nation on March 18, Martyr's Day."