Afrin, Syria
Afrin (Arabic: عفرين, romanized: Ifrīn; Kurdish: ئەفرین, romanized: Efrîn) is a city in northern Syria. In the Afrin District, it is part of the Aleppo Governorate. The total population of the district as of 2005 was recorded at 172,095 people, of whom 36,562 lived in the town of Afrin itself.
Afrin
Efrîn عفرين | |
|---|---|
City | |
Afrin, 2009 | |
Afrin | |
| Coordinates: 36°30′30″N 36°52′9″E | |
| Country | Syria |
| Governorate | Aleppo |
| District | Afrin |
| Subdistrict | Afrin |
| Control | Turkey Syrian Interim Government |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,850 km2 (1,490 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 270 m (890 ft) |
| Population (2004 census) | |
| • Total | 36,562 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
The town and district are named after the Afrin River. The city is split into two distinct halves by the river. As a result of Operation Olive Branch, the People's Defense Units of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria ("Rojava" or "AANES") withdrew after the city's encirclement from Afrin on 17 March 2018 and the Syrian National Army and Turkish Armed Forces captured Afrin the next day, bringing it under the Turkish occupation of northern Syria.
While thousands fled as the Syrian Democratic Forces of the AANES retreated, an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 people remained in Afrin city after the Turkish capture.