Turkey has officially opened a new border crossing to the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin to speed up the delivery of humanitarian aid there, and it has been operational since November 8, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said Friday.

Pekcan said that the gate would be named "Olive Branch" after Turkey's cross-border counterterrorism operation which was launched on Jan. 20 this year.

Turkey's Customs and Trade Ministry and the Hatay Governor's office in southern Turkey previously announced that they had agreed to open the gate near the village of Hamam in Kumlu district.

There are 10 land (seven permanent, three temporary) and three rail customs gates exist between Turkey. As of December 2017, seven customs gates are in operation, whereas three land and three rail gates remain closed.

The village is located near the town of Jandaris in Afrin district, which was liberated by Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters as part of Operation Olive Branch launched on Jan. 20 to clear PKK-linked People's Protection Units (YPG) and remaining Daesh terrorists from the area.

Turkish authorities stepped up humanitarian support to civilians in the town of Afrin after it was liberated on March 18 by Turkish-backed forces as part of Operation Olive Branch.