Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army fighters advance north of Afrin, Syria March 6, 2018. Picture taken March 6, 2018. (Reuters photo)

ANKARA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday expressed hope that Turkey's military and its allies would completely take Syrian Kurdish-held city of Afrin by Wednesday evening.

Speaking to local administrators in Ankara, the president also said civilians in the city were being evacuated through a special corridor.

Since the launch of the operation, Turkish military and the allied Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces have controlled around 1,300 square km of land in Afrin, Erdogan said.

On Tuesday, Turkish military announced its army and allied FSA forces have encircled Afrin, achieving a significant advance during its eight-week-long operation.