Syrians seek physical therapy in clinic opened by Turkey

By Esref Musa and Ethem Emre Ozcan

TAL ABYAD, Syria (AA) - A physical rehabilitation clinic in northern Syria opened by Turkey to serve victims of conflict in the region after its liberation from YPG/PKK terrorists has received 1,200 patients, one of its staff said on Thursday.

"Free prostheses were fitted to 35 patients at the physical therapy center," said Dr. Muhammed Abdullah of the Tel Abyad Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center in the Tel Abyad province of northern Syria, which Turkey liberated with Operation Peace Spring in October 2019.

Founded by the Alliance of International Doctors (AID), Kuwait's Bait Al Zakat association and the provincial health administration of Sanliurfa province in southeastern Turkey, the center plays an important role in the treatment of people disabled or maimed due to landmines laid by terrorists or the attacks of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

The treatments that the center offers usually cost between $1,500 and $2,000, Abdullah told Anadolu Agency.

Ebu Baran Covhari, who lost one of his legs due to gunfire by a YPG/PKK terrorist, said his leg could not be saved during surgery despite the efforts of Turkish doctors in the southeastern Gaziantep province.

"Previously, they took measurements. My second prosthesis has been fitted thanks to Turkish and Syrian teams," Covhari said.

"They are very kind ... they really care for their patients," he added, thanking the Turkish government for the services.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable a peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

*Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara