Turkish troops and allied¹ Syrian rebels have taken the Afrin city center under control following two-month fighting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.

 

土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安周日表示，经过两个月的战斗，土耳其军队和盟军叙利亚反对派已占领阿夫林市中心。

 

The Free Syrian Army, backed by the Turkish army, took over completely the center of Afrin city, the central town in the Afrin district, as of 08:30 a.m. on Sunday, Erdogan said at a ceremony marking the 103rd anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign in Canakkale of northwestern Turkey.

 

"At this moment Turkish flag is flapping there, the Free Syrian Army flag is flapping," he said.

 

Turkey started the campaign against the Afrin district in northwestern Syria on Jan. 20, with a view to driving out Kurdish militants², who are seen by Ankara as terrorists.

 

Erdogan pledged to take all the steps needed to make the entire region livable, improving both its infrastructure³ and superstructure.

 

"We will take all necessary steps to bring the people of the region back to their homes as soon as possible," he added.

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