YPG released a statement on its website on Sunday, January 28, saying the Kurdish forces launched a “special operation” to retake the hill from Turkish military and Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA).

“All kinds of bombardments were carried out [by Turkey] including fighter jets, helicopters, artillery and internationally banned Napalm bombs,” the statement read.

“We once again promise to our people that we are going to resist to the end under any circumstances,” YPG added.

Meanwhile, the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency reported Turkey’s armed forces captured Mount Bursaya from the Kurdish forces in northwestern Afrin.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), however, rejected Anadolu’s news that the mount was taken by the Turkish army, saying Mount Bursaya is still under the control of the Kurdish forces.

Mount Bursaya is a strategic area overlooking Turkey’s province of Kilis and the district if Azaz in Syria.

Turkey's air and artillery strikes on Sunday were even fiercer than previous days, according to AFP.

Turkey launched operation "Olive Branch" on January 20 against the Kurdish forces in Afrin, supporting Syrian opposition fighters with ground troops and air strikes.

According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 42 civilians have been killed since January 20, including 12 children, most of them in Turkish air strikes.

Several nations, including Germany and France, as well as the European Union, have expressed concern over the Turkish offensive against a country where over 340,000 people have already been killed since war erupted in 2011.