Turkish military operation aims to liberate Afrin - senior official

FILE PHOTO: A general view shows the Kurdish city of Afrin, in Aleppo's countryside, Syria March 18, 2015. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hebbo /File Photo

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish military operation over Syria's Afrin region aims to liberate it from the control of Kurdish militants from the YPG and PYD groups, a senior Turkish official told Reuters.

Freeing nearby Manbij from militant control will follow the operation to Afrin, the source said, adding that the operations are aimed at re-building social and economic infrastructure in the region.

(Reporting by Orhan Coskun; Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; editing by John Stonestreet)