By Zuhal Demirci

ANKARA 

Turkish Foreign Ministry on Saturday sent a note to Syria's Consulate in Istanbul about military operation in Afrin region, according to a diplomatic official.

The official, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, said the note was sent by Turkish Foreign Ministry's Istanbul branch.

They said Turkey's Permanent Mission to the UN also wrote a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and UN Security Council president, informing them about the operation's objectives and legal bases UN.

Turkey has started “‘Operation Olive Branch" on Saturday at 5 p.m. [1400GMT] in Afrin "to eliminate terrorists of PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and Daesh, and to protect the friendly and brotherly people of the region from their [the terrorists’] oppression and cruelty".