Turkish female troops provide backup in Afrin operation

Female officers of military operating howitzers on Turkey-Syria border, supplying ammunition to forces fighting in Afrin.

Female personnel of the Turkish Armed Forces deployed on the border are actively participating in the country’s ongoing counter-terrorism operation in Syria’s northwestern region.

As the Turkish military and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) continue to advance toward Afrin’s city center, the female personnel are providing back-up support by operating Firtina (storm) Howitzers along the Turkey-Syria border line.

The female military officers, some of whom previously participated in the Operation Euphrates Shield, have taken the leading position of the units stationed on the border.

First Lt. Ceren Ozcelik, an officer responsible for the maintenance of the howitzers, recalled the frontrunner civilian women of Turkish Independence War.

“We are the grandchildren of Kara Fatma and Nene Hatun. We have inherited the devotion for our country from them. Carrying out this job and being a part of this operation is pride for me,” Ozcelik added.

Anadolu