Turkey will eliminate terrorists and deliver Afrin to its true owners, says Erdoğan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the audience at the HAK-İŞ International Women’s Day Program held in Ankara on Wednesday.

“What meaning can the words of those who are unresponsive to the brutal massacre of one million people composed mostly of women and children?” Erdoğan asked, raising awareness about the plight of Syrian women, especially of those in Eastern Ghouta.

“We saw crocodile tears being shed over the tens of thousands of women and children who disappeared in the waters of the Mediterranean. Those who are not sincere cannot defend women’s rights,” he added.

“Turkey did not enter Afrin as an occupying force, we entered it to clear terror elements. We are there to eliminate terrorists and deliver Afrin to its true owners,” Erdoğan said.

“Since the onset of Operation Olive Branch, 2,960 terrorists have been neutralized in Afrin. Turkish troops are continuing to advance. Just as we established control in an area of 2,000 square kilometers in al-Rai, Jarabulus and al-Bab, we will do the same in Afrin,” he said earlier on Wednesday.

In the wide-ranging Euphrates Shield Operation launched in August 2016 and lasting until March 2017, the Free Syrian Army -- with the support of the Turkish army -- had cleared 2,000 square kilometers (772 square miles) of land along the Turkish-Syrian border of terrorist elements.

The president added that “Turkey is not an occupying force,” and that Turkey seeks to ensure that Syrians are able to return to their homes.

Operation Olive Branch was initiated on Jan. 20 in Afrin to establish security and stability, eliminate terrorists of PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and Daesh, and save locals from the terrorists’ oppression and cruelty.