Daily life returns to normal in Tal Abyad, Syria

By Burak Karacaoglu

TAL ABYAD, Syria (AA) - The daily life has been returning to normal quickly in Tal Abyad district, cleared of YPG/PKK terrorists with Turkey’s Peace Spring Operation in northern Syria.

After Turkey’s Peace Spring Operation, which was launched on Oct. 9 to eliminate the terrorists from northern Syria, the daily life has been returning to normal in Syria's northern Tal Abyad district as the bakeries, grocery stores, barbers, pharmacies, restaurants trying to meet the needs of the local people without closing their shutters.

"YPG/PKK tried to separate us, but we know we are brothers," said Abu Ahmet, resident of Tal Abyad.

The YPG/PKK terrorists, constantly threatened people while the district was under their occupation, he said.

"They spread lies against Turkey, tried to provoke the people of the district, and even arrested the imams of Tal Abyad who rejects to give false sermon.

"The local people are expecting the councils and police stations to open in a short time and they also wait for return of power and water supply in the district," Ahmet added.

"The YPG/PKK made us suffer a lot. They exacted tributes, they treated us as second class people," said another local from Tal Abyad, who is of Turkmen origin and did not want to give his name for the purpose of protecting his family, who lives in the regime-controlled region.

Tal Abyad is highly populated by Arabs and it was occupied by Daesh, also known as ISIS, terrorists in 2014. A year later, YPG/PKK terrorists occupied the city with the support of the U.S.

The terrorists forced Arabs and Turkmens, who live in the western part of the city, to move from the district with "a threat of air strike by regime forces".

On Oct. 9, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria east of the Euphrates River in order to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.

Tal Abyad was cleared of terrorists as part of the Operation Peace Spring on Oct. 13.

On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a meeting in Russia's Black Sea resort town of Sochi.

Ankara and Moscow reached a deal under which YPG/PKK terrorists will pull back 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) south of Turkey’s border with northern Syria within 150 hours, and security forces from Turkey and Russia will conduct joint patrols there.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK.

* Writing Havva Kara Aydin