Having taken the hill overlooking the town on Wednesday, Turkish forces backed by Syrian rebels have captured Jandaris, in northern Syria’s Afrin District, away from the Kurdish YPG forces who had controlled it.
The YPG contested that claim, however, saying they still have some forces within Jandaris, and that there continued to be sporadic fighting throughout the evening, denying the Turks have “complete control.”
There were also complaints of large-scale destruction in Jandaris after Turkey took the area, with armed drones attacking Kurds who were fleeing the area, and Turkish state media claiming those targeted were “terrorists.”
When the town is under control, though, it will put Turkey just 20 kilometers away from the district capital of Afrin, which has the largest YPG defensive force in the region. 20 kilometers can take a long time to overcome in such heavy fighting, and both the YPG and Syrian pro-government forces continue to send reinforcements to try to slow Turkey’s advance.