The PKK terrorist group's Syrian offshoot YPG has been digging trenches in residential areas to hide weapons in the Tal Rifaat region.

Aerial footage by Anadolu Agency (AA) released on Saturday showed YPG/PKK terrorists digging tunnels and trenches in the villages around Tal Rifaat, including Sheikh Issa, Menagh, Al-Alqamiyeh, Ain Daqnah, Kashtaar and Tatmarash.

YPG/PKK terrorists were also seen hiding military tanks and other types of weapons inside civilian homes in the area.

Over the past years, the terrorist group managed to dig a network of tunnels in Tal Rifaat and surrounding villages, which YPG/PKK terrorists occupied in February 2016 and forced tens of thousands to leave their homes and areas.

The YPG/PKK terror group uses Tal Rifaat and surrounding villages to launch attacks against areas cleared from terrorists by Turkey.

On Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said his country is set to clear two areas of northern Syria, near the Turkish border, of terrorist elements in a bid to eliminate the terror threat from the region.

"We are entering a new phase of our decision to establish a safe zone 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) deep south (of the Turkish-Syrian border). We are clearing Tal Rifaat and Manbij of terrorists," Erdoğan told a group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in the capital Ankara.