Schools suspended in northern Syria amid YPG/PKK attacks

TELL ABYAD/JARABULUS, Syria (AA) – Schools were suspended in Syria’s northern cities of Tell Abyad and Jarabulus on Tuesday amid attacks by the YPG/PKK terrorist group.

Local council officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the education process in schools in Jarabulus across the Karkamış district, and in Tell Abyad across the Akçakale district of Şanlıurfa was halted until further notice.

The officials attributed the decision to the increasing attacks by YPG/PKK terrorists on civilian settlements in the area.

Approximately 66,000 students are enrolled in 334 schools in Jarabulus and Tell Abyad. On Monday, YPG/PKK terrorists launched rocket attacks in Jarabulus.

“Schools were suspended on Tuesday due to YPG/PKK shelling of the surrounding area of Karkamış and Jarabulus,” Ubayda Bilal, a Syrian civilian in Jarabulus, told Anadolu Agency.

He said families are afraid for the safety of their children as the city is a constant target of attacks by YPG/PKK terrorists.

“The suspension of schools gives the families some relief,” he added.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and the European Union -- has been responsible for deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report.