By Halil Fidan
SANLIURFA, Turkey
Homesick Syrian refugees who sought refuge in Turkey after escaping YPG/PKK terrorists say they hope Turkish forces will liberate the town of Tal Abyad from terrorists so they can go back home.
Syrians who escaped Tal Abyad in Raqqah, northern Syria -- just south of the Turkish border -- are trying to move on with their daily lives in tent cities built by Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in Akcakale, southeastern Sanliurfa.
As the Turkish-led Operation Olive Branch recently successfully liberated Afrin, in Syria’s northwest, from terrorists, Syrians want Tal Abyad to be similarly liberated.
Ayman Al-Isawi, a teacher at the tent city, told Anadolu Agency that he was forced to seek asylum with his family in Turkey after YPG/PKK terrorists seized Tal Abyad.
Though being the well-treated in Turkey, Isawi said he wants to go back to his country one day, saying Operation Olive Branch made his hopes of returning home soar.
“The YPG/PKK is terrorizing Tal Abyad and other regions [of Syria]. They forcefully expelled Arabs and Sunnis from their homes, took their lands, but hopefully their end is near. The Turkish-led Operation Olive Branch raised our hopes of returning home,” he said.
He called on Turkish authorities to also liberate Tal Abyad and other regions from terrorists.
Gusum Farhan Icmali, another refugee from Tal Abyad, also said they fled Syria three years ago and came to Turkey.
Icmali and her family said they tried to return to their country but the terrorist group prevented them.
“We want our lands to be liberated from terrorists just the way Afrin, Jarablus, and other regions got their freedom. We’re always praying to Allah for this… We’re comfortable in Turkey but a person still yearns for their own land,” she said.
Saddam Jadan, another Syrian from Tal Abyad, said the oppression in Syria still continues today before the eyes of the entire world.
“President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkey are our only hope, and we trust him. Everyone here [at the tent city] dreams of the day the tyrannical YPG/PKK leaves. We want to return home at last,” he said.
