BEIRUT- Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies damaged and tore down a statue linked to Kurdish culture in the centre of Syria's Afrin town on Sunday, a statement on a Whatsapp group run by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces said, citing the Afrin media centre.
The statue was of the blacksmith Kawa, a central figure in a Kurdish legend about the new year celebration of Nawroz. The statement said this was the "first blatant violation of Kurdish people's culture and history since the takeover of Afrin".
Turkey-backed forces swept into the northwestern Syrian town of Afrin on Sunday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said.
(Reporting by Lisa Barrington Editing by Catherine Evans) ((lisa.barrington@thomsonreuters.com; +961(0)1954456;))
