Turkey seizes Syria city as Kurds vow to stage a comeback

istanbul — Turkey’s president said on Sunday the Turkish military and allied Syrian forces have taken ‘total’ control of the town center of Afrin, a major development in the nearly two-months offensive against a Syrian Kurdish militia that controls the area.

The Kurdish militia called the assault on Afrin an “occupation” and vowed a “new phase” of guerrilla tactics against Turkish troops and its allied Syrian fighters.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish flag and the flag of the Syrian opposition fighters have been raised in the town, previously controlled by the Kurdish militia known as the People’s Defense Units, or YPG. “Many of the terrorists had turned tail and run away already,” Erdogan said in a speech in western Turkey.

The militia said it had evacuated the town of the civilians. Footage of long lines of vehicles leaving the town was aired on Syrian state-run TV, while many residents got out on foot or on motorcycles heading to government-controlled areas nearby.

Later on Sunday, limited fighting was reported in some pockets in Afrin town while Turkish military said it was combing the area for land mines and explosives.

Government spokesman Bekir Bozdag tweeted that Turkey would take steps to restore daily life and ensure access to food and health care. “Our job is not done yet, we have a lot more work. But terror and terrorists in Afrin are over,” he said. —