Returning Syrians in despair after seeing ruined houses

TAL ABYAD, Syria

Syrians, away from home for five years due to YPG/PKK terror group’s occupation, finally reached their homelands after Turkey’s successful military operations in the area, but felt upset after seeing their towns destructed by the terror group.

Since 2016, Turkey has conducted three successful operations in northern Syria against the terrorist YPG/PKK and Daesh/ISIS: Operation Euphrates Shield (2016-17), Operation Olive Branch (2018) and Operation Peace Spring.

Ahmet al-Abdullah Ibrahim, one of these Syrians who returned to their lands, was happy to return home where he was born, although the scene he found, with his family of six, in their town was heartbreaking.

"I have come here for the first time after [Turkey’s] Operation Peace Spring. It’s now five years that we have left our town and look what they did to my house. This is pure tyranny," Ibrahim told Anadolu Agency.

As their house was totally destroyed, Ibrahim and his family moved their house to Tal Abyad where they have relatives.

Although they lost everything after YPG/PKK occupied their town, Ibrahim said they are still happy because the area was liberated from the terror group thanks to Turkey’s military operation.

"Thank God we are alive. We can repair our house or rebuild it, no problem," he said.

Selva al-Matar and her family of four are also among the Syrians who returned home after Turkey cleared the area of the terrorists.

"We have been away from home for four years. We are excited to see our relatives after a long time," she said.

Operation Peace Spring, launched on Oct. 9, aims to eliminate terrorist YPG/PKK elements from northern Syria east of the Euphrates River in order to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.

Ankara and Washington reached a deal on Oct. 17 to pause Operation Peace Spring for 120 hours to allow the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the planned safe zone.

On Oct. 22, Turkey also reached an agreement with Russia to allow the YPG/PKK terror group to withdraw from the safe zone.

Turkey wants to repatriate some 2 million of Syrian refugees it is currently hosting to the zone after clearing it of terrorists.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

* Writing by Sibel Morrow