Syrian Kurds have reached an agreement with the Syrian governmental army to enter the city of Afrin and help repel the Turkish offensive in the region, the BBC reported.

Kurdish officials stressed that military co-operation does not necessarily mean a political one and it will be subject to further negotiations. The Kurdish units of the "People's Self-Defense Forces" will hand over several positions to the Syrian army in the city of Aphrodus (65 km from Aleppo) and on the Turkish border.

According to state media in Syria, government troops could enter Afrin in the next 48 hours. The agreement was reached during the negotiations between the parties held in Aleppo. The Kurds want Damascus to provide the air defense of Afrin, which is being attacked by the Turkish Air Force. There is no formal confirmation of this news from Damascus so far.

On Feb. 14, Deputy Foreign Minister Fésal Mekdad told at a press conference that the Syrian authorities "took the necessary measures to reflect Turkish aggression." He noted that the Afrin region was "an integral part of Syrian territory". Turkey launched a military operation named "Olive Branch" against the Kurdish forces in this northwest Syrian region, where about 1.5 million Kurds and refugees from many other areas of Syria currently live. According to the latest figures from the Turkish General Staff, 1615 "terrorists" were killed in the operation for a month.

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