In the city of Afrin, the Kurdish protection militias (YPG) launched a campaign of arrests of young people for the purpose of forcibly enlisting them in a forthcoming battle against Turkish forces and the Free Syrian Army. 130 guys were arrested and recruited.

In the past two days, Kurdish security forces have arrested more than 80 youths in Afrin and its outskirts and about 50 youths in the city's Raju district, in order to recruit them into forced conscription, Anadolu news agency reported.

The young men were between 19 and 35 years of age. Sources reported that many of them were taken to the fighting fronts without prior training.

According to the same sources, YPG is preparing for a demonstration on Thursday in Afrin against the anticipated military operation, where the militias have demanded international intervention to protect them in the city.

On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that his country would soon eliminate "terrorists" in Syria, starting with the cities of Afrin and Manbij, in the northern suburbs of Aleppo.