By Fatma Esma Arslan
ANKARA
Sympathizers of PYD/PKK terrorists are using a picture of a British dog attack victim as well as other distorted photos as part of its smear campaign against Turkey’s counter-terrorist operation in Afrin, northwestern Syria.
PYD/PKK supporters used three photos taken at different times and places trying to smear Operation Olive Branch of the Turkish Armed Forces and Free Syrian Army, which aims to clear Afrin of terrorists.
On social media, a collage falsely labelled “There is genocide in Afrin” shows three photos, one -- on the top -- showing a running child.
But while the child is from Afrin, from an AFP photo, the scarred, fiery landscape apparently in the background was digitally pasted in from another photo, not showing Afrin. The background in the original photo is entirely different.
The terror groups have been spreading lies to convince the international community that Operation Olive Branch also targets civilians in Afrin, which is not the case.
On the contrary, the Turkish military has stressed that only terror targets are being destroyed and that "utmost care" is being taken to avoid harming civilians.
Also in the collage, the photo in the bottom left is again not in fact from Afrin, but from Syria’s Eastern Ghouta region, the target of a years-long brutal siege by Assad regime forces condemned by Turkey and the international community.
The last photo, in the bottom right, shows an 18-month-old baby in Staffordshire, England who survived a dog attack three years ago, in 2015.
The photograph was used by British daily The Sun’s story “Tot needed more than 240 stitches after frenzied dog attack,” telling of the injuries suffered by toddler Mayzee-Jo Gaspa.
On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear YPG/PKK-Daesh terrorists from Afrin.
According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkey’s borders and the region as well as to protect Syrians from terrorist oppression and cruelty.
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, it said.
