DAMASCUS, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A massive Turkish military convoy entered the Tal al-Eis area in the western countryside of Aleppo province in northern Syria on Monday, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.
The aim of the Turkish forces is to establish a stronghold in that high ground area, which would secure a supply route for the Turkish-backed Syrian rebels between the city of Azaz, which is under the control of the Ankara-backed rebels in the northern countryside of Aleppo and the rebel-held countryside of Idlib province, according to the report.
This comes as the Turkish forces heavily shelled the town of Rajo in the northwestern countryside of the Kurdish-held Afrin region in northern Aleppo near Turkey, as part of the Turkish military campaign to eliminate the Kurdish forces in Afrin and other areas in northern Syria near the Turkish border.
The report said the shelling of the pro-government Syrian forces targeted the Turkish convoy while approaching Tal al-Eis area, without further details.
Meanwhile, the Turkish military said in a statement on Monday that there were plans to begin reconnaissance work on establishing two more observation posts inside northwest Syria, as part of the de-escalation zones' deal agreed upon by Russia and Iran.
The activists' monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the new Turkish observation post was near Tal al-Eis.
The Turkish military campaign started on Jan. 20, targeting historic sites, mosques, residential areas, and the infrastructure in the Afrin enclave, according to state news agency SANA.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stressed in a recent statement that it will keep confronting the Turkish forces and their allies of the Syrian rebels in Afrin.
The Kurdish forces have lost 15 towns on the outskirts of Afrin to the Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels.
The Turkish side has stressed that the war will continue in Afrin and will start another offensive on the Kurdish-held Manbij town also in northern Aleppo countryside until eliminating the Kurdish forces in that region near Turkey.
SANA said the Turkish campaign has so far killed and wounded 500 civilians in Afrin.
