DAMASCUS, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned the Turkish "occupation" of the country's northern city of Afrin, which was declared under control of Turkish forces a day earlier.

In a statement addressed to the United Nations, the ministry said the Turkish control over Afrin city is "illegitimate" and runs against the principles and charter of the UN and international law.

The Syrian government condemns the occupation, urging the "invading forces" to immediately withdraw from the Syrian territory, the ministry added.

"The occupation of Afrin not only threatens the lives of civilians and the unity of Syria, but also prolongs the war in Syria to serve the terrorists and their backers as it poses a threat to the peace and stability in the region and the world," it noted.

A day earlier, the Turkish forces and allied rebels of the Free Syrian Army fully captured Afrin, after dislodging the Kurdish People's Protection Units and allied Syrian Democratic Forces, which had been in control of the area for nearly six years.

In late January, the Turkish forces launched a military campaign in Syria's Afrin to eliminate the Kurdish forces there, considering their presence near the Turkish southern border as a huge threat.