Turkish forces 'encircle' Syria's Afrin

Turkey's military has surrounded the Kurdish-held city of Afrin in northern Syria, the Turkish General Staff said.

A statement said troops and allied Syrian rebels had also captured "critically important areas," BBC reported.

Kurdish sources said all roads into Afrin were being targeted by shellfire, but denied that it was encircled.

Hundreds of civilians reportedly fled the city to nearby areas controlled by the Syrian government on Monday.

The Turkish operation aimed at driving the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia out of Afrin began on 20 January.