Turkey-Syria Tensions: More fierce clashes between Turkish-led forces and Kurdish fighters
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Now to the Middle East, Turkey's Olive Branch operation, which aims to clear Kurdish YPG militants in Afrin, continued on Tuesday, though bad weather made it more difficult for the operation to advance. Meanwhile, Turkey's Prime Minister reiterated Turkey's intentions in the region.
On Tuesday, despite heavy fog and rainy weather, Turkish armed forces pushed forward with troops and tanks in Syria's Afrin - targeting Kurdish YPG positions. The Turkish government again expressed its determination to eliminate the YPG group from areas along the Syrian Turkish border.
BINALI YILDIRIM TURKISH PRIME MINISTER "Just like in operation Euphrates Shield, all terrorist elements will be cleansed from this region as well and our brothers who came to our country, our lands from Syria to save their lives will return there and continue their lives there. Regardless of the price, we will tear down the terror corridor they are trying to establish in the region."
But Turkey is also suffering losses. On Tuesday, a funeral was held for a Turkish soldier killed during clashes in Kilis. But it's not only clashes that is hurting Turkey rockets have been fired into bordering Turkish towns from within Syria.
MICHAL BARDAVID REYHANLI, TURKEY "This town of Reyhanli is just nine kilometers away from the Syrian border, across from Afrin, it is frequently threatened by attacks from across the border. It was one of the two Turkish towns hit by rockets since the Olive Branch operation began. One of the rockets dropped here - just a short distance away from the state hospital."
On Sunday, 61-year-old Syrian Nader Alfares died after a rocket attack in Reyhanli, his relatives are in mourning.
HUSEYN ALFARES SON OF ROCKET ATTACK VICTIM "My father, my mother, my brothers' wife, her children and my daughter, all of them were in the car, they were going to buy groceries for the house in Reyhanli, they stopped in front of a butchers' shop, when they stopped, the rocket dropped on them."
Huseyn explains that while waiting for ambulances to arrive, local residents tried to save his father, despite these efforts, Nader Alfares lost his life. Nevertheless, these Syrian refugees who fled the war five years ago and have been living in Reyhanli since and say they do feel secure in Turkey.
HUSEYN ALFARES SON OF ROCKET ATTACK VICTIM "We are safe here in Turkey, and the Turkish people treated us as we are part of their families, they are great people, they did not discriminate against us, especially in this town."
As Turkey continues to advance deeper into Afrin where clashes have erupted between YPG militants and Turkish soldiers, residents fear the battle will get worse in the upcoming days. Michal Bardavid, CGTN, Reyhanli, Turkey.