| Wrath of Olives | |
|---|---|
|
240x240px|frameless}}|Official logo of the operations room.|alt= Official logo of the operations room. | |
| Motives | End of the Turkish occupation of northern Syria |
| Active region(s) | Afrin District (former Afrin Canton), Syria |
| Major actions | Bombings,[1] assassinations,[2][3] kidnappings, guerrilla warfare[1] |
| Status | Active |
The Wrath of Olives operations room is an insurgent group that is active in Turkish-controlled areas of northern Syria.[3] They claim to have been founded following the Turkish invasion of Afrin, backed by an assortment of rebel groups. The group has been active since mid summer, 2018, and has carried out dozens of assassinations and bombings against Turkish-backed rebel forces.[4][5] As the group has vowed to kill not just Turkish soldiers and allied Syrian militants, but all who cooperate with the pro-Turkish forces, it and another anti-Turkish insurgent faction (the "Afrin Falcons") have been described as "death squads". Middle East security analyst Nicholas A. Heras has argued that the Wrath of Olives operations room and the Afrin Falcons are front organizations of the YPG, as the latter "is under pressure from the United States to disassociate itself from the most controversial assassinations in Afrin."[2] Similarily, the pro-Syrian government al-Masdar News described the group as "YPG sleeper cell".[6]
While waging a guerrilla campaign in the countryside, using ambushes and bombings,[1][6] the Wrath of Olives operations room also carrys out assassinations against Turkish-backed militants and civilians who collaborate with Turkish forces.[2][3] The group reportedly attempted several times to kill Hasan Şindi, a member of the Turkish-backed Afrin Council until he fled for Europe in August 2018.[3]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Wladimir van Wilgenburg (1 October 2018). ""Olive Wrath" announces the liquidation of 3 gunmen in Afrin". Adar Press. http://www.adarpress.net/english/index.php/news/1949-olive-wrath-announces-the-liquidation-of-3-gunmen-in-afrin. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Wladimir van Wilgenburg (22 August 2018). "YPG rejects involvement in attacks by mysterious groups in Afrin". Kurdistan 24. http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/c598314c-abb4-4468-a0a0-66e336661b32. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Wladimir van Wilgenburg (28 June 2018). "Mysterious armed group warns Afrin residents of 'new battle'". Kurdistan 24. http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/bf4aae78-f0cd-422d-9bfb-99a889a63f8d. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ↑ "Wrath of the Olive hits Fatih Sultan Mehmet gang", Firat News Agency
- ↑ "Wrath of Olives conducted special op against gang commander", Hawar News Agency
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "YPG carry out powerful ambush against Turkish-backed rebels in Afrin (video)". al-Masdar News. 2 October 2018. https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/ypg-carry-out-powerful-ambush-against-turkish-backed-rebels-in-afrin-video/. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
The original article can be found at Wrath of Olives and the edit history here.