Ankara’s military operation in north-western Syria has been already started

Tabnak – After days of preparations and troops deployment to the Syrian border, it is now reported that Turkey has actually started its military operation against the Kurdish groups in Afrin. The move, observers believe, that could further complicate the situation on the ground in Syria.

Although Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli says no troops have gone into Syria's Kurdish-controlled Afrin region, the operation has started "de facto" with cross-border shelling.

Canikli said in an interview with broadcaster AHaber on Friday that Turkey was developing weapons systems against anti-tank missiles used by US-backed YPG militants.

He said the planned military operations in the northwestern Syrian region should be carried out with no delay to purge the territories of what he called terrorist elements.

According to The Telegraph, Turkish troops shelled the area on Friday and said it was moving units of commandos near the border as well as mobilizing pro-Turkish Syrian rebel groups for the attack.

As of Friday night, an all out ground invasion did not yet appear to be underway. Turkey has in the past promised a major incursion into northern Syria but pulled back at the last minute.

This time, Ankara has been threatening for days to send its forces into Afrin, a Syrian district near the Turkish border controlled by Kurdish forces that are allied with the US but mortal enemies of Turkey.

Meanwhile, BBC reports that Turkey's military and intelligence chiefs have been in Moscow to try to get Russia's agreement to allow Turkish planes to use the Russian-controlled airspace above Afrin. However, on Friday night, The Russian foreign minister denied reports that Russia is withdrawing its forces from the area.

Russian consent is essential for any Turkish operation. Moscow is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has a contingent of soldiers at the airport in the centre of Afrin. The Syrian government itself has warned against any incursion, threatening to shoot down Turkish jets.

On the other hand, the United States State Department on Jan. 18 urged Turkey not to take any action in northern Syria, calling on Ankara to remain focused on the fight against ISIS terrorist group. At a news briefing, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US wanted Turkey to abstain from violence in Afrin.

Afrin is currently isolated from two other self-declared Kurdish autonomous cantons - Kobani and Jazira. Turkish-backed rebel forces took over a 100km (60-mile) area separating the territories after driving out ISIS in 2016.

Ankara views the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), an offshoot of SDF which is now active in Afrin and some other Kurdish areas, a terrorist organization linked to the homegrown Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group, which has been fighting for independence inside Turkey.

Wary of the YPG’s activities at its doorstep, Turkey has repeatedly called on the US to stop supporting the Kurdish militants and take back the arms it has supplied to them under the pretext of fighting the ISIS terror group.