Life returns to normal in Syria’s war-weary Jarabulus

By Kerem Kocalar

GAZIANTEP, Turkey / ALEPPO, Syria (AA) - Thousands of Syrians have returned to Syria’s northern city of Jarabulus since it was liberated almost one year ago from the Daesh terrorist group.

Life has now largely returned to normal in Jarabulus, which lies just across Turkey’s border with Syria, since the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) liberated the city in August of last year.

Jarabulus is now being provided with its basic needs, including power and water, from Turkey’s nearby Gaziantep province, allowing local infrastructure -- including hospitals and schools -- to resume operations.

FSA fighters deployed on the border, meanwhile, have continued to help local residents return to their homes, with more than 50,000 civilians having reportedly returned to the city to date.

Local restaurants and shops are now doing a booming business, while numerous vendors can be seen roaming the streets hawking their wares.

Rim Abit, a local resident who recently returned to Jarabulus, expressed her gratitude to Turkey, where she has resided for the last two years. She now works at one of the town’s several newly built hospitals.

Mohamed Isa, a Syrian who earlier fled the PYD/PKK-held town of Manbij to Jarabulus, told Anadolu Agency: “Now we are living here in peace and safety.”

Operation Euphrates Shield, which began last August and ended in March of this year, was launched with the aim of eliminating the terrorist threat along the Turkey-Syria border with the use of FSA fighters backed by Turkish artillery and air cover.

After Syria’s civil war erupted in early 2011, Jarabulus was controlled intermittently by the Daesh and PKK/PYD terrorist groups, before being liberated last year.