France calls for urgent UN Security Council meeting over Turkish operation on Afrin

French Foreign Minister had spoken with his Turkish counterpart about the operation against Kurdish forces in Afrin.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – France on Sunday called for an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss the Turkish military operation against the Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) city of Afrin.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has urged a ceasefire in Syria and encouraged the start of urgent meetings at the UN Security Council regarding the events in Afrin, Idlib, and Ghouta.

“Ghouta, Idlib, Afrin—France asks for an urgent meeting of the Security Council,” Le Drian said on his Twitter account.

The French Foreign Minister added that he had spoken with his Turkish counterpart about the matter.

“France calls on Turkey to act with restraint in a difficult context, with the humanitarian situation deteriorating in several regions of Syria as a consequence of the military actions of the Damascus regime and its allies,” Reuters quoted Le Drian’s statement following a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Le Drian also called for a ceasefire “everywhere” across Syria and for “unconditional humanitarian access.”

On Saturday, Turkey began “Operation Olive Branch,” launching airstrikes targeting the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria’s Kurdish-held city of Afrin.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—of which the YPG is a leading component—said the Turkish army launched airstrikes on residential areas of Afrin, wounding five civilians.

“Turkish authorities began using their army in a war of aggression against our people in Afrin, targeting civilian neighborhoods,” the YPG statement read.

The YPG has been a key part of the battle against the Islamic State in Syria and has been backed by the United States.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany