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On the March 11, the Turkish Army and its proxies from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) reached the outskirts of the city of Afrin from the eastern direction after they had captured the village of Qibare, according to sources linked to the FSA.

The Turkish Army also continued its advance in the Jandaris district west of Afrin and captured the villages of Kawkabah, Ayn Darah and Kafr Batrah, less than 7km away from its positions south of Afrin. Separately, Turkish forces captured the villages of Jaqmaq Kabir, Jaqmaq Saghir, Almdar, Ali Bik, Cenceylan and Hajman in the districts of Bulbul and Rajo, north and northwest of Afrin.

Meanwhile, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) claimed that its fighters had killed 95 Turkish Army soldiers and FSA fighters during clashes in the districts of Jandaris and Bulbul and around Afrin. However, these numbers are likely nothing but propaganda as the Turkish Army continues its rapid advance.

Over the last few days, it has become clear the the YPG’s defense has collapsed in the Afrin area. Some sources speculate that YPG fighters just withdraw from some of their positions.

The poor strategic approach implemented by the YPG is likely the main reason behind this rapid collapse. So far, the group has failed to reach a wide-scale deal with the Damascus government which is its only way to save Afrin from Turkish forces.

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