Kurdish forces say Turkey shelled primary school, water plant in Afrin

Nouri Mahmoud, a spokesperson for the Syrian Kurdish YPG, told Reuters that Turkish forces and their allied rebel forces targeted a primary school and damaged a water plant that supplies Afrin city.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The US-armed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) on Wednesday said the Turkish army had bombed a primary school and a water plant in the Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) city of Afrin as an offensive there entered its third week.

Nouri Mahmoud, a spokesperson for the Syrian Kurdish YPG, told Reuters that Turkish forces and their allied rebel forces targeted and damaged a water plant that supplies Afrin city.

Mahmoud also said the Turkish army shelled a primary school in the Maydanki village on Tuesday but noted that the artillery did not leave any casualties.

The Turkish military has not yet responded to the accusations.

On Jan. 20, Turkish warplanes began striking Afrin as dozens of civilians, including children and women, were reported to have been killed by air raids and shelling.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has labeled the campaign “Operation Olive Branch,” and says the offensive is meant to clear Syria’s Kurdish-held northwest district of YPG fighters who Turkey claims are an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Ankara argues the US-backed Kurdish forces are a “terrorist organization” and has been incensed by Washington’s support for the YPG.

The US, which has backed the Kurds in the ongoing battle against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, said it was concerned and has called on Turkey to limit its military offensive in the Kurdish region.

Kurdistan 24 correspondent Akram Salih, who is covering developments in Afrin, said the bombing has targeted villages which the Turkish army is seeking to move toward but have not made any progress.