Turkish-backed militants loot shops after seizing control of Afrin on March 18, 2018. (Photo by AFP)
Authorities in the southern Turkish province of Hatay announced on 16 that seven members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the People’s Protection Units (YGP), who are responsible for several attacks in Syria’s Afrin, had been apprehended.
The authorities said local forces in Turkish-occupied Afrin arrested the suspects after an investigation. Around 25 kg of TNT and materials used for making bombs were seized inside two apartments the suspects were hiding in.
“The terrorists were involved in carrying out 11 explosions and burning 3 vehicles in the “Olive Branch” [Afrin] area of Syria,” the authorities said in a statement, according to the Anadolu Agency.
Hatay authorities didn’t provide any details about the attacks the cell was responsible for. Nevertheless, Syrian activists speculated that the April 28 bombing in Afrin was one of the attacks.
On April 28, a booby-trapped truck, loaded with dozens of fuel barrels, exploded in the Turkish-occupied city. More than 100 people, mostly civilians, were killed or injured.
Turkey’s claims are yet to be verified. No sufficient details have been provided so far. In the past, Ankara accused the PKK and the YPG of many attacks in Syria without providing any clear evidence against the two groups.
