12 January 2017•Update: 13 January 2017
By Kerem Kocalar
GAZIANTEP, Turkey
The number of Syrians who have returned from Turkey to Jarabulus near the Turkish border approached nearly 24,000 after the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) liberated the town in the Aleppo province, a local migration official told Anadolu Agency Thursday.
Oktay Bahceci, head of the Gaziantep regional migration office, said a total of 23,926 Syrians left Turkey to return home since last September.
Following registration, Syrians, including women and children, are taken to Jarabulus after a security check at the Karkamis Customs Gate.
The Turkish-led Operation Euphrates Shield, which began in late August, aims to improve security, support coalition forces, and eliminate the terrorist threat along the Turkish border through Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters backed by Turkish artillery and jets.
Approximately 1,900 square meters of Syrian soil, including the city of Jarabulus – a critical province in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border – was cleared of Daesh militants after the operation started.
Since the civil war started in Syria in 2011, Jarabulus was controlled by not only Daesh but also intermittently by the PKK/PYD. The city was under Daesh control when the Turkish-led operations liberated it by using howitzers and other air equipment.
