On January 24, a Turkish military convoy, including battle tanks, entered the western part of the Syrian province of Aleppo, preparing to open a new front against Kurdish YPG/YPJ forces in the Afrin area.
According to media reports, the military convoy crossed the border with Syria via the Atma station and reached the village of Tellet el-Is and the nearby hill in southwestern Aleppo. The formal purpose of the move is to establish an observation point in the area under the de-escalation zone agreement reached during the Astana talks.
However, some pro-Kurdish sources believe that the forces deployed south of Afrin many be used to open a new front to combat the YPG/YPJ in the area.
At the same time, pro-government sources speculate that this observation post will be used to oppose future operations of the Syrian Arab Army against terrorists in the province of Idlib.