Turkish-backed forces take Syrian town

Turkish-backed Syrian forces on Sunday secured control of the Syrian town of Afrin after a nearly two-month offensive, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed. Turkey on Jan. 20 intensified its operation in Afrin against the Kurdish militia, which Turkey considers a terror group. Erdogan in a statement said the troops seized control of the town Sunday morning and started to clear out landmines. The allied troops raised their flags in Afrin and fired celebratory shots. “In Afrin’s center, it is no longer the rags of the terror organization that are waving, but rather the symbols of peace and unity,” Erdogan said. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag on Monday said Turkey would hand over the town to “its real owners.” The Kurdish militia vowed to respond to the takeover with guerrilla tactics. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the intensified fighting drove out more than 200,000 civilians in less than three days and killed dozens of others.