A picture taken on February 20, 2018 shows a convoy of pro-Syrian government fighters flashing the victory gesture as they ride through the windows of pickup trucks upon arriving in Syria's northern region of Afrin. (AFP Photo)
DAMASCUS, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- A second batch of the pro-government Syrian forces entered the Kurdish-controlled Afrin on Wednesday to take part in confronting Turkey-led military campaign in the enclave, state news agency SANA reported.
The second batch reached Afrin, 24 hours after the first batch entered Afrin, and deployed on the points and centers "to help supporting the people defending their villages and homes" against the Turkish attack.
A day earlier, the Turkish shelling targeted areas close to the assembly point of the pro-government fighters at the entrance of Afrin, which later turned to be warning shots to keep the fighters from entering Afrin.
Afrin in Aleppo Province has been battered for a month by Turkish forces, who, together with allied Syrian insurgents, started a wide-scale offensive on January 20 to defeat the Kurdish People Protection Units (YPG) fighters there.
The YPG said in a statement that they welcomed the arrival of the pro-government forces.
The YPG militia is regarded by Ankara as the Syrian affiliate of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey.
However, the United States has supported the YPG to combat the Islamic State in Syria.
On Monday, Turkey warned the Syrian government against sending troops into Afrin to back the YPG militia. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held two separate phone conversations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to warn against such a move.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday called for direct negotiations between Damascus and Ankara to resolve the Afrin crisis.
Washington, while saying it backs Turkey's right to defend itself, has called on Ankara to show restraint.
The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Erdogan agreed to hold further meetings and create working groups to ease the tension in Afrin.
The YPG has controlled Afrin since 2012 after Syrian government forces withdrew from the Kurdish-majority area.
