ANKARA
The PYD/PKK terror group is continuing to use social media for its smear campaign against the Turkish military and its ongoing Operation Olive Branch in Syria's Afrin region.
To smear Turkey's counter-terrorist operation, terror supporters resorted to their old tactic of using old, completely unrelated photos deliberately mislabeled as if they came from Afrin.
One photo of a child shared under the tag "Stop genocide in Afrin" was actually taken in the war-torn country of Yemen last September.
Another photo of a child shared by PYD/PKK sympathizers with the caption "Save children in Afrin" turned out to be from Douma, Syria, taken before the operation, amid attacks by the Assad regime on civilians.
Yet another photo which shows a child without legs under the hashtag “Stop Genocide in Afrin” was actually taken in Gaza in 2014, during Israeli attacks on Palestinians.
Through their lies, the terror group has been striving to convince the international community that Operation Olive Branch targets civilians in Afrin, despite the reality, which is the opposite.
All these terrorist claims are false, with all the photos proven to have come from before Operation Olive Branch began, and hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
False claims spur smear campaign
Some social media accounts which posted disinformation were later shut down and their posts removed.
The PKK terror group has instructed its supporters to post fake or distorted images falsely claiming that "civilians are being targeted."
According to the Turkish General Staff, the aim of the Afrin operation is to establish security and stability along Turkish borders and the and to protect the Syrian people from the oppression and cruelty of terrorists.
The operation is being carried out under the framework of Turkey’s rights based on international law, UN Security Council resolutions, its self-defense rights under the UN charter, and respect for Syria's territorial integrity, the military added.
It also said only terrorist targets are being destroyed and that "utmost care" is being taken to avoid harming civilians.
The PYD/PKK is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist group, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. the EU.
