North Syrian town thanks Turkey for restoring calm

By Burak Dag

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish Defense Ministry posted a video Tuesday on Twitter showing residents of the town of Tal Abyad in northern Syria expressing their gratitude to the Turkish army and government for clearing it of PKK/YPG terrorists and renovating the school so their children can resume their studies.

After being damaged by PKK/YPG terrorists, the school was recently reopened after being renovated by the Turkish Defense Ministry and Sanliurfa governorate and has six units and 115 students.

“Our school is now better than before. If God permits, the world will also be better than before too,” a child from Tal Abyad says in the video.

A woman also thanked Turkey’s president.

“We thank Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He helped us to the best of his ability. We thank the Turkish army and the Turkish government.”

A local also said there was no school in Tal Abyad when it was under the control of PKK/YPG terrorists.

Tal Abyad was freed from YPG/PKK terrorists by Turkey's counter-terrorism operation in northern Syria.

Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring on Oct. 9 to eliminate YPG/PKK 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.

On Oct. 22, Turkey reached an agreement with Russia on a 10-point deal to force the terrorist YPG/PKK to withdraw from a planned terror-free zone.

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 the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG/PKK is its Syrian offshoot.