Turkish-backed fighters from the Free Syrian Army stand in the Tal Malid area, north of Aleppo, as they fire towards Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) positions in the village of Um al-Hosh, in the area of Afrin, on January 20, 2018.
Turkish forces began shelling the YPG enclave of Afrin from frontier Hatay province, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency. Turkey has said repeatedly this week that an operation to oust the YPG from Afrin is imminent and has massed troops and armour on the border. (Photo: AFP)
Egypt's foreign ministry on Sunday expressed condemnation of Turkey's military intervention in Afrin, a Kurdish-controlled city in Syria's northwest near the Turkish border, saying it constitutes a "fresh violation of Syrian sovereignty."
Turkey’s army said it shelled shelters and hideouts used by militants in the area on Friday and Saturday, as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan vowed to wipe out "terrorists" in the region.
The Turkish government has accused the Syrian Kurdish forces which control Afrin to be connected to the PKK, which Ankara considers a terrorist organziation.
The attacks "undermine the existing efforts for political solutions and counter-terrorism efforts in Syria," the ministry added in a statement published on its Facebook page.
The ministry reiterated Cairo's firm position rejecting military solutions to Syria's nearly seven-year civil war, which it said would add to the suffering of the Syrian people.
The ministry renewed its call for serious negotiations towards a "comprehensive and objective political process" that includes all parties.
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