The Turkish military on Sunday sent troops and military reinforcement to the countryside around Afrin, northwest Syria, reported North Press Agency.
The Turkish forces sent military reinforcement, including troops and military and armoured vehicles to Deir Ballout, a village that separates areas held by Turkish-backed armed opposition factions and those held by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), said the agency, citing a local source.
It was not clear why the Turkish troops were deployed on routes in Deir Ballout but civilians’ cars were prevented from moving, the source told North Press.
Turkey’s latest military reinforcement in Kurdish-populated Afrin could be linked over concerns of possible HTS activity in the area, the agency said.
The Turkish intelligence and Turkey-backed militia in recent weeks have been accused of arresting people and releasing them in exchange of ransoms in Afrin, which has been controlled by the Turkish military and affiliated rebel groups since 2018.
Most recently, four young men were arrested during a joint patrol of local military police and Turkish intelligence in Afrin, reported war watchdog Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on Monday.
The UK-based watchdog said that the detainees were accused of performing compulsory service for the Kurdish-led administration which controls territories in northeast Syria.
