On 21 December 2018, the Afrin Liberation Forces a Pro-YPG insurgent group was established and released a press statement with group's goals, the group claimed in the statement that they seek to end the "occupation of their areas" and that they will carryout operations as part of a "justified war" until the region is "liberated", the statement also claimed responsibility for two attacks one occurring on 18 December being the detonation of an improvised explosive device on Turkish soldiers claiming that as many as 6 had been injured and killed, and another attack on the same date the detonation of another IED on forces belonging to the Hamza Division.[19]