By Muhammed Boztepe

ANKARA

Three Turkish soldiers were martyred and three others wounded by an explosion on Thursday during a search operation in Syria's Afrin as part of Operation Olive Branch.

In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said an improvised explosive blew up and martyred three soldiers and injured three others in search operations.

The military offered condolences to the families of the martyred soldiers and wished injured soldiers a speedy recovery.

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 to clear terrorist groups from Afrin in northwestern Syria amid growing threats from the region.

On Sunday, Turkish-backed troops liberated the town center of Afrin, which had been a major hideout for the YPG/PKK since 2012.

After the town center of Afrin was liberated, Turkish military began operations to search for mines and improvised explosive devices to wipe out any traces of terrorism in order to help residents go back to normal lives.

The Turkish General Staff has repeatedly stated that the objective of Operation Olive Branch is to establish security and stability along Turkey's borders and the region as well as protect Syrians from terrorist cruelty and oppression.