With Turkey getting close to finishing the preparations for a military operation aimed at controlling the area of Afrin and other areas controlled by the "Democratic Union Party - PYD" in the countryside of Aleppo, the Syrian opposition "armed" factions showed their willingness to participate in the operation, following statements by Turkish President "Recep Tayyip Erdogan "Confirms the participation of factions.

Erdogan said in a speech in front of the headquarters of the Justice and Development Party in the capital Ankara on January 16 that the factions of "Free Syrian Army" will participate in the military operation that Turkey is preparing for the region of Afrin, and that this operation is "for the Syrians and the protection of their land," according to his saying.

* Opposition factions are ready to support the Turkish army against the "PYD" militants

According to military sources from the "Sultan Murad Division" (the most prominent faction that participated in the previous Turkish operation "Euphrates Shield") east of Aleppo, that the factions of the "Free Syrian Army" are ready to participate in the battle, but Turkey has not communicated with the factions officially yet.

The sources pointed out that "People's Protection Units - YPG" targeting the city of Azaz with artillery shelling, requires the factions to "respond immediately" to the sources of fire, even if the battle has not yet begun, or delayed.

Other sources in "Faylaq al-Sham", added that the Turkish army will be in the front rows and behind it will be the opposition fighters, and that the duration of the battle as planned by the Turkish side must not exceed the 70 days, and it will be covered by "Turkish" airforce, amid expectations that The battle begins on 20-21 of this month.

As for Jaysh al-Nasr of the "Free Syrian Army" working in the province of Hama, said that the factions of "FSA" are ready to participate in the battle of Afrin, in case it was able to repel the progress of the "Assad regime" in the governorates of Idlib, Aleppo, and Hama, saying that the results of the military operation In Afrin - if successful - they "will be reflected positively on the battles of the north against the forces of the regime and the militias supporting them".

For its part, a military source in the opposition told NSO, that 17 thousand fighters of the Turkish army should participate in the military operation with Turkish air cover only, starting from controlled areas of "Euphrates Shield" factions east of Afrin, and areas controlled by "Hayyet Tahrir al-Sham" and "Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement" south of Afrin, while the "opposition" will participate with about 6,500 fighters belonging to various factions active in the western, northern and eastern countryside of Aleppo, and is expected to start moving before the end of January.

* Turkey strengthens its defenses in the vicinity of Afrin and bombarding sites for "PYD" militants

Turkish troops continue to reinforce their defenses on the Syrian-Turkish border in the Turkish states of Hatay and Killes, which are opposite the northern and western regions of Afrin, where the Turkish army sent new reinforcements to Hatay, including "tanks, armored vehicles, troop carriers, heavy machine guns and missile bases" placed in several points opposite to Afrin amid heightened security in the region, according to the source.

The source said that these military reinforcements are not the first for Turkey. For almost a year, reinforcements have been sent to the border near areas controlled by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) on the Syrian side, particularly near the area of Afrin, which penetrated it more than once earlier, while working on the construction of the separation wall between it and Syria.

Although Turkey did not set a fixed date for the battle, but only to say that in the next few days, it began to bomb the area of Afrin more than once during its frequent statements, especially following the recent threats of Turkish President "Recep Tayyip Erdogan" to destroy the strongholds of the "PYD" party in Afrin If they did not surrender, during a speech at a conference of the branch of the Justice and Development Party in the Turkish city, "Elazig".

NSO reporter, quoting activists from northern Aleppo, said that the Turkish artillery stationed at the border in the district of "Rihaniyah" affiliated to "Hatay", targeted more than 50 shells "PYD" sites in the villages of "Bsaoufan, Jindires, Rajo, and Masknili" affiliated to Afrin, and its artillery stationed at the border in the Turkish area of Qarqamish opposite the border town of Jrablus in the countryside of Aleppo targeted the PYD sites in the hills overlooking the Euphrates River from the eastern side of Ain al-Arab (Kubani) area.

* Reinforcement and preparations for "PYD" in coordination with the "Assad regime"

Prior to Erdogan's recent threats and based on previous statements about the possibility of Turkish military action in Afrin, the People's Protection Units (YPG), which controls the Afrin area and adjacent areas north of Aleppo, have strengthened their defenses around the area and on all contact points near the presence of the Turkish army, and even the points of contact with the "Free Syrian Army" factions supported by Turkey in the northern and western countryside of Aleppo.

NSO reporter in Afrin said that large trucks belonging to YPG carrying "reinforced concrete" (semi-circular military buildups, 2 meters high) were moved to the vicinity of Afrin in previous times, with the aim of making tunnels to protect against any possible aerial and artillery bombardments. Adding that they are still working on getting other "blocks", which appear to be in preparation for a battle, that YPG knows it may start at any moment.

In conjunction with these fortifications, YPG expanded its compulsory recruitment operations under the name of the "Duty of Autonomous Defense" to mobilize the largest number of fighters, train them and prepare them for the upcoming battle, and opened the door to volunteering in one of its regiments offering offers and financial temptations with a monthly salary of "$ 200" Later to US $ 300, in kind as a "health insurance and food basket" to attract more young men, noting that the aid provided by the Syrian Red Crescent to the citizens of Afrin, but "YPG" seizes it and distribute it to its members and those belonging to it.

On the coordination of the "People's Protection Units - YPG" with the "Assad regime forces," which controls the towns of "Nubl and Zahraa" adjacent to Afrin, the reporter quoted a special source, that a "secret" agreement and "security" coordination between the leaders of the regime and "YPG" Earlier in Afrin, where a military delegation of the regime visited Afrin coming from Aleppo through the town of "Nubl" by "SUV" cars carrying the paintings of "Damascus countryside."

The regime delegation met with military leaders in YPG, headed by Hafal Shilo, the leader Bakdash (Turkish) and another leader, called Faisal. The two sides discussed important details, most notably the activation of the security box for the regime in Afrin, And to face (the regime secretly) what they called "Turkish aggression", pointing to the lifting of some of the flags of the regime on the points of contact with the "Free Army" factions in several points, including the village of "Mar'anaz" west of the city of Azaz north of Aleppo.

The reporter, quoting the source, confirmed that the regime sent about 150 members of the towns of "Nubl and Zahraa" affiliated to its militias to the fighting fronts with "YPG" within the understandings between the parties, pointing out that "Ahl al-Diyar operations room" and during its attack sites on "YPG" in Ein Diqna village, was able to capture a member that was found to be from the town of Nubl, according to a video record published by Ahl al-Diyar back then. The sources said that the regime's forces supported the "People's Protection Units" by shelling the positions of the attacking factions.

It is interesting to note that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said late November last year that he did not rule out communication with the head of the regime in Syria, Bashar al-Assad, about the Democratic Union Party (PYD) , while the regime recently stepped up against the "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF), which is dominated by "PYD", where described by the Deputy Foreign Minister of the regime, "Faisal al-Meqdad" as "new ISIS" and "the Americans are trying to support it against the will of the Syrian people."

PYD relies on military and political analysts, depending entirely on the United States of America that it may intervene to prevent any Turkish battle against it, but the Turkish president in his recent statements was serious to start the battle of Afrin, pointing out that the "International Alliance" itself led by the United States, which supports "SDF" (which dominated by "PYD"), said that the scope of his operations was not in Afrin.

But military sources in the "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF) have responded to statements by US officials not to support the PYD in Afrin that "the relations are not based on interpretations, but on the reality that US support is continuing and has not stopped, Referring to the military preparations for "SDF" in the regions of Afrin and Manbij against any possible attack by Turkish forces and opposition factions.

What supports the story of the military sources in SDF on the continuation of American support, according to sources told NSO a few days ago, that the shipment of anti-aircraft missiles entered the area of Afrin, coming from the Kurdistan region of Iraq across al-Jazeera region and areas controlled by the "Assad Regime" in Aleppo eastern and western countryside, as part of an undeclared agreement between the United States and the People's Protection Units (YPG) to stop the planned Turkish operation to enter the city of Afrin.