Türkiye takes Afrin — Operation Olive Branch — Key Events — Syria

What happened

Turkish forces and Turkish-backed Syrian factions take the Kurdish enclave of Afrin from the YPG; a large part of its Kurdish population is displaced, and documented abuses by the factions follow — property seizures and demographic change Kurdish organisations describe as systematic, which Türkiye denies.

Afrin is the Kurdish movement's core grievance against Türkiye and the factions — and the precedent invoked in every northeast negotiation since: what Turkish-controlled "security" can mean for Kurdish populations.

Confidence: High

WhenJanuary – March 2018

WhereAfrin

KindMilitary · Territorial change · Humanitarian

ArenaTürkiye and northern Syria

Confidence: High Sources: Established historical record · UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria ↗ Methodology Corrections

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Connected records

4 records that this event names, or that name it — every one an explicit reference in a published record, nothing inferred from subject matter.

Part of1

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Turkish northern securityOlive Branch — Afrin

Actors1

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Türkiye in Syria

Participants2

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Where this fits

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