ALEPPO, Syria — Media outlets close to the Syrian government have recently accused the Turkish army of isolating the city of Azaz from the cities where the government forces and the Afrin Liberation Forces of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) are deployed in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

On Jan. 13, the Athr Press website quoted anonymous sources as saying, “The Turkish forces brought a large number of cement blocks into the city of Azaz, which is under their control in the northern countryside of Aleppo, in order to build a buffer wall around the city.”

It noted, “Cement blocks as well as various heavy machinery were brought into the city of Azaz and directly were transferred to the Azaz-Afrin road near the villages where the Syrian army units and allied forces are deployed. The concrete blocks are approximately 4 meters [13 feet] high.”

The site continued, “The Turkish forces have claimed that the new cement wall comes as a purely defensive means aimed at protecting the city against any possible attacks, especially the sporadic attacks of the Afrin Liberation Forces that are stationed in pockets spread between Afrin and Azaz.”