Syria's al-Bab becomes safe haven for 400,000 civilians

By Omer Koparan and Ethem Emre Ozcan

AL-BAB, Syria (AA) - Syria’s northwestern al-Bab city, cleared of the Daesh/ISIS terror group five years ago through Turkiye's Operation Euphrates Shield, became a safe haven for 400,000 civilians despite the mounting attacks of the YPG/PKK terror group.

In line with Article 51 of the UN Charter, Turkiye launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 in al-Bab across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents.

Al-Bab was cleared of the Daesh/ISIS terror group in the sixth month of the operation.

Through projects carried out in the fields of education, health, infrastructure, and services, the population in the al-Bab city center and surrounding settlements reached around 400,000.

Turkiye, attaching great importance to the right to education of those living in the region, played a major role in the reconstruction of 150 schools in al-Bab, and currently, around 150,000 students receive education in the city center.

Also, Gaziantep University, located in Turkiye's southeastern Gaziantep province, established a faculty in the al-Bab city.

- Health services prioritized in al-Bab

Turkiye’s Health Ministry has also carried out its activities in the region to ease residents’ life and provide health services as part of humanitarian and technical assistance.

While many health institutions were put into service of the people of the region, the ministry has been working to minimize the transfer of patients from Syria to Turkiye.

Al-Bab Hospital, established in the city center with the contributions of Turkiye's Health Ministry, has become one of the most important hospitals in northern Syria.

Turkiye Diyanet Foundation also restored many mosques in the area with the support of philanthropists.

The residents want the YPG/PKK terror group’s mounting attack on al-Bab from Syria’s Manbij and Tel Rifat areas which remain under its occupation, to come to end.

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

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the liberation of al-Bab, Varda Shahabi, who works with aid organizations for women, said they were happy to be away from terrorism.

"We lived in fear during the Daesh/ISIS era. There was persecution. There was a fear of being arrested. We were very afraid of them. Now that fear has given way to the YPG/PKK's fear of attack.

"We used to live in fear under the Daesh/ISIS terror group. There was persecution and a fear of being arrested. We were very afraid of them," she said, adding: "Now that fear has given way to the fear of the YPG/PKK terror group’s attack," he said.

YPG/PKK terrorists frequently mount attacks on liberated areas, Shahabi also said and noted: "All we want is to get rid of the YPG/PKK terrorists as soon as possible. If we get rid of the YPG/PKK (in Manbij and Tel Rifat), the joy of our liberation from Daesh will be complete."

"I settled here after al-Bab was cleared of Daesh. Thankfully, peace and security were achieved. Al-Bab has become my second home," Nasser Ahmad (23), who relocated to al-Bab after the Assad regime's attacks on Homs, told Anadolu Agency.

Ahmad, working as a cameraman in al-Bab, said: “My family also lives here in peace. I hope Assad goes and all Syria finds peace.”

Al-Bab’s local council head Mustafa Osman also said: “Life in the city returned to normal thanks to the services and projects offered by the local council.”

"We are trying to solve the water shortage issue within the bounds of possibility. Electricity has supplied to our city. We repaired public buildings and roads," he added.

He underlined that there have been significant investments in the field of health such as the opening of a hospital in al-Bab and vaccination campaigns.

He added that they carry out joint projects with non-governmental organizations in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry.

"Approximately 200,000 people have had local identity cards so far," he noted.

On Feb. 23, 2017, the district center was liberated from the Daesh/ISIS terror group, and the Turkish forces neutralized over 3,000 Daesh/ISIS terrorists in seven months during the anti-terror operation.

Settlements spread over 2,055 square kilometers (793 square miles) were cleared of terrorists in 217 days.

Through Turkiye’s intense contributions in the fields of health, education, and services to help life return to normal, the population in the operation field reached 2 million.