At the beginning of 2018, the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Syrian National Army (SNA) launched an invasion of Efrin. Anarchist detachments including RUIS and TA were among the internationalists that attempted to defend the canton. On February 24, the Icelandic anarchist Haukur Hilmarsson, was killed while fighting as part of RUIS. On March 4, the Turkish anarchist Şevger Ara Makhno was killed, while fighting as part of TA. Despite the resistance, on March 18, the Turkish-led forces captured Afrin city and pacified the remainder of Afrin District over the subsequent week.