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On February 25, the Turkish Army and its proxies from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) captured the strategic town of Maydan Ikbis northwest of Afrin city and the villages of Benderlik and Kusani around it, according to sources linked to the Turkish-backed FSA. FSA fighters allegedly killed 40 members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) during their advance.
Meanwhile, Turkish sources reported that Turkish Air Force (TAF) warplanes had conducted several airstrikes on the YPG’s positions in the outskirt of Afrin city and in the center of the Jandaris district, west of it.
From its side, the YPG announced that its fighters had repelled a large attack by the Turkish Army and its proxies on their positions in the Shara district north of Afrin city. YPG fighters killed 35 Turkish Army soldiers and FSA fighters there, according to the YPG press.
Furthermore, the Kurdish Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported that YPG fighters had conducted a hit and run operation against the Turkish Army and its proxies in the city of Azaz east of the Afrin area. YPG fighters targeted a position of the Turkish-backed FSA with an ATGM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfXCUu82PXI
The Turkish Army and its proxies will likely expand their operations in the Sheikh al-Hadid district west of Afrin city in the upcoming days in order to open a route from the Euphrates Shield-held area in the northern Aleppo countryside to Idlib governorate. Earlier, the Turkish Army was able to open a route between its positions in the districts of Bulbul and Rajo north and northwest of Afrin.
