By Omer Koparan </p> <p>AFRIN, Syria (AA) – Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) distributed food packages to 3,000 people in Afrin, northwestern Syria, the agency said on Wednesday. </p> <p>AFAD distributed some 485 food packages containing sugar, flour, oil and legumes in the Akanli, Carkanli, Saltah, and Meydanki villages. </p> <p>Turkey on Jan. 20, 2018 launched Operation Olive Branch to remove YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin. </p> <p>On March 18, Turkish troops and Free Syrian Army members liberated Afrin, on the 58th day of the operation. </p> <p>Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests, leading to open warfare in several parts of the country with heavily-armed opposition groups. </p> <p>While UN officials say hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, regime officials say the number is closer to 10,000.
- Writing by Busra Nur Bilgic
