On March 14, the Turkish Army and its proxies from the Free Syrian Army continued their advance towards the city of Afrin and captured the village of Kafr Shil, only 600 meters west of the city, according to sources close to the FSA. The sources added that the Turkish Army had captured the villages of Hulilu, Kafr Dali al-Fawqani, Julkan and al-Nira north and west of Kaf Shil.
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Meanwhile, warplanes of the Turkish Air Force (TAF) continued conducting airstrikes on Afrin. The Kurdish Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported that at least five civilians had been killed in a single airstrike on the city. Earlier, nine civilians were reportedly killed in a series of TAF airstrikes on the center of Ma’betla district, northwest of Afrin.
From its side, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) repelled several attacks by the Turkish Army and its proxies on its positions in the district of Shara north of Afrin city. According to the YPG press, YPG fighters had destroyed a vehicle of the Turkish Army with an ATGM and had captured two others.
While the YPG still keeps some resistance in the districts of Bulbul, Shara and Shiekh al-Hadid, its units appear to be collapsing in the districts of Ma’betla and Jandairs. Local observers believe that only negotiations could safe Afrin city from being besieged and captured by the Turkish Army.
