With their plans for Idlib, Turkey doesn’t want to retreat from Syria. Although their plans to attack Efrîn from 3 sides along with the paramilitary Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups they founded have been halted for now, intense TAF and FSA activity and preparations continue in Azaz surroundings, El Rai (Çobanbey), Marê and Idlib. As part of these efforts, Turkey has been engaging in artillery fire to villages under YPG and Jaysh Al-Thuwar control, mainly Shehba’s Til Rifat and Minix towns, and they search for international grounds to enact Turkey’s plans.

HEADQUARTERS IN 12 VILLAGES

A YPG source said the Turkish Armed Forces and FSA groups had turned 5 villages in the region into headquarters together and positioned heavy weapons there, and added that the number of these villages has increased to 12 since the Ramadan holiday. The military official said weapons brought from Turkey are positioned there and that the dispatching still continues. These points will be used as homebases in a possible attack on Efrîn.

SIMULTANEOUS ATTACKS

The source also pointed to the tank activity in the region and said: “In the morning hours, the TAF and the FSA are playing dead. There is zero activity. But with dusk, dispatching towards these 12 villages turned into headquarters begins.” The military official added that the TAF carries out intense bombings on villages to the east of Efrîn and in the Shehba region simultaneously in evening hours from these villages.

“VILLAGES BOMBED”

The official stressed that the Shera and Shêrawa districts to the east of Efrîn are priority targets for the TAF and said the Êzidî villages Kestellê and Baflunê and Kitmê, Meranazê, Şêwerka, Malkîyê and Cılbirê villages in these districts have bee under intense bombing for a long time. The Howitzers and Katyusha missiles are fired at random and at times land among the village’s streets, said the source, and continued: “Right now there hasn’t been a loss of life, but we can say that a great many houses have been demolished.”

“300 METERS IN BETWEEN”

Another military official stated that the TAF and some FSA groups backed by Turkey have been inching towards the Shehba region and added that the TAF has taken up positions as close as 300 meters to YPG-controlled Samuqa, Tılmadiq, Cîcan, İmhuş, Hirbil and Şêx Îsa villages. The military official also said there was intense military dispatching to here as well and said: “At night, these villages and the rural areas of them are bombed with Howitzers and mortars.