620 Syrian police candidates to assume security duties in Afrin after being trained by Turkey

ANKARA

A total of 620 Syrian police candidates will assume the security duties of Syria’s northwestern Afrin region from May 10 after completing the basic training given by the Turkish Police Academy.

Police candidates between ages 18 to 45 are receiving a month of training, which will be completed on May 10, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

The Turkish Police Academy and special forces unit members are training the candidates on police regulations, general discipline and operational training, such as destroying improvised explosive devices.

The Turkish army launched “Operation Olive Branch” on Jan. 20 this year to clear Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militants from Afrin and to establish security and stability along Turkey’s borders and in the region.

On March 18, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) declared full control over the city on the 58th day of the operation.

Locals are reportedly returning to their homes in Afrin as the operation continues. Around 350,000 people who have taken refuge in Turkey will return to their homes in Afrin following the end of the operation, the Turkish prime minister had said during a speech in February.

Meanwhile, over 5,000 locals have also received training and have started their duty in the Azaz, al-Bab and Jarabulus districts after the Turkish army cleared the regions from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and YPG militants during Operation Euphrates Shield in 2017.