KILIS, Turkey

A Turkish aid agency on Monday sent 20 truckloads of humanitarian aid to areas of Syria cleared of terrorists by Turkey's Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations.

Yakup Alaca, an official at the Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation’s (IHH) southern Kilis office, told Anadolu Agency that the aid was collected with the support of philanthropists and it will be distributed in safe areas cleared of terror in Syria.

Alaca said 15 truckloads will be sent to Afrin in northwestern Syria and five trucks to nearby Idlib.

"Our trucks are loaded with a lot of materials like flour, eggplant, potatoes, and clothes," Alaca added.

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 this year to clear YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northwestern Syria amid growing threats from the region.

On March 18, Turkish-backed troops liberated Afrin’s town center, which had been a major hideout for YPG/PKK terrorists since 2012.

Turkey’s other cross-border operation in Syria, Operation Euphrates Shield, took place in August 2016 to March 2017 to support coalition forces and eliminate terror threats along the Turkish border.

Reporting by Izzet Mazi; Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet