Turkish opposition calls for support against Afrin operation

CAIRO – 6 February 2018: The leader of the main Turkish opposition Republican People’s Party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, called for supporting Damascus, Syria against terrorism, according to RT channel on Monday.

Kilicdaroglu expressed his party's readiness to contact Syrian authorities to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria amid the ongoing Turkish military operation in Afrin.

“Those in power are trying to represent the Turkish Armed Forces’ operation in Afrin as a solution taken by their [ruling] party. But it is a fight for Turkey, not for them. They must immediately contact the Syrian government in order to guarantee the territorial integrity of Syria and stop the bloodshed,” Kilicdaroglu added.

He promised to solve the terrorism problem within four years if he wins the upcoming presidential election in Turkey in 2019, pledging to retire from political action if he failed.

Earlier, he said that his party was considering the possibility of visiting Syria and stopping the bloodshed in Afrin.

Last month, Turkey launched an air and ground offensive, dubbed “Operation Olive”, against the militia of the Kurdish People's Protection Units in the northwestern Syrian region of Afrin.

Turkish authorities have repeatedly warned that they will prosecute those who oppose or criticize the operation.

The Turkish government said on Monday that they have detained 573 people for social media posts and protests criticizing its military offensive in Syria.