The belligerent aggression of the Turkish army and its jihadist allies against the remaining Kurdish population in Afrin in northwestern Syria continues unabated. Shelling from the Turkish-occupied zone continued on Sunday, targeting villages in the Shera and Sherawa districts. Intensive reconnaissance flights are taking place over the region.

Bombardments were reported against the villages of Meranaz and Malkiyê in Shera, which is located in the north of the Afrin region. Both villages border the city of Azaz, which has been occupied by Turkey since 2016. In the Sherawa district in southeastern Afrin, which is not fully occupied by Turkey, the village of Soxanakê came under artillery fire. So far, the attacks have not resulted in any casualties, but the impact of several dozen shells caused material damage to houses and infrastructure.

Since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened a renewed invasion of the autonomous regions of northern and eastern Syria, the attacks on Afrin have also escalated. Sherawa in particular occupies a strategic position in Turkey's plans for an expansion of its illegal occupation zone, as the district borders the canton of Shehba and connects Afrin with Tel Rifat. If there is another war of aggression against Rojava, Erdoğan wants to attack Tel Rifat first.

Until a few years ago, Afrin was self-governing according to the canton principle of Rojava. Since March 18, 2018, the region has been occupied by Turkish troops and the jihadist alliance "Syrian National Army" (SNA), a coalition of reactionary, Islamist and fundamentalist militias financed and led by the Turkish government. Under these forces, a regime of terror has been established in Afrin. Bombardments of civilian settlement areas determine daily life in what was once the safest region in all of Syria. Abductions, executions, torture, looting and expulsion are part of the daily business of the occupying power's mercenaries. Most of the Kurdish population has been expelled and replaced by settlers loyal to Turkey.