The Kurdish Afrin region is being targeted in an assault by the Turkish army and Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army groups.

Senior SDF official Redur Xelil told Reuters that “there was a desire on the part of the foreign fighters who fought in Raqqa and who are fighting in Deir al-Zor to go to Afrin.”

He declined to say when the foreigners had gone to Afrin, but said they numbered in the “tens”. “They will wage battles against the Turkish invasion,” Xelil said.

“There are Americans, Britons, Germans, different nationalities from Europe, Asia and America,” Xelil said.

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