SDF: Turkey lying with claim that Daesh is in Afrin

Turkish-backed fighters from the Free Syrian Army hold a position in the Tal Malid area, north of Aleppo, as they prepare to target Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) positions in the area of Afrin, on January 20, 2018. (AFP)

BEIRUT: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said the Turkish army had falsely claimed that Daesh is present in the Afrin region of northwestern Syria that is being targeted in a Turkish offensive, accusing it trying to mislead global public opinion.
“The whole world knows Daesh is not present in Afrin,” Redur Xelil, a senior SDF official, told Reuters. The Turkish military said on Tuesday that at least 260 Syrian Kurdish YPG and Daesh militants had been killed in its Afrin operation.
Xelil said the Turkish military was greatly exaggerating the number of SDF and YPG casualties. He confirmed YPG and SDF fighters had been killed, but declined to say how many. He also said the SDF had killed tens of Turkish forces and allied Free Syrian Army fighters, but said he did not have a precise figure.