Turkey continues its humanitarian efforts for the revival of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn, areas of northern Syria cleared of the PKK’s Syrian branch People’s Protection Units (YPG) terrorists through Turkey's Operation Peace Spring launched last month.
Operation Peace Spring put an end to the YPG's oppression and persecution in Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn regions, thus making way for our Syrian brothers, who took refuge in Turkey, to return to their homes and lands voluntarily and safely, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Monday.
The Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) also continues to distribute donations to people of the region.
A video released by the Defense Ministry showed local residents expressing their gratitude for Turkey’s efforts, humanitarian and military, and praying for the safety of Turkish soldiers.
"Our lives have improved after the arrival of Turkish soldiers; peace, tranquility and stability were restored here," a man said in the video, expressing his happiness about the current situation.
"Although YPG terrorists treacherously used many hospitals and places of worship as weapon emplacements and shelters by deliberately wearing civilian clothes and disregarding the lives of civilians, great attention and effort have been shown to avoid harm to innocent civilians and the environment," the ministry also said.
"The Turkish Armed Forces will continue to stand by and support all the innocent people leading a modest life in the region, regardless of their religious and ethnic origin. Our fight is only against terrorists. Operation Peace Spring has been carried out solely and completely against Daesh and YPG terrorists to ensure peace and stability in the region on the basis of moral values and international law," it added.
Turkey on Oct. 9 launched Operation Peace Spring to eliminate YPG terrorists from northern Syria in order to secure Turkey's borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees, and ensure Syria's territorial integrity.
Tal Abyad is populated to a great extent by Arabs and was occupied by the Daesh terrorist group in 2014. A year later, the PKK terror grouptarget="_blank"'>