Free Syrian Army frees villages around Jarabulus

By Halit Suleyman, Kurbani Geyik and Sinan Uslu

JARABULUS, Syria

A string of villages in northern Syria have been liberated by the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a commander said Sunday, following the group’s success in freeing Jarabulus from Daesh.

The FSA field commander, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of Daesh retribution, said eight villages within a 20 kilometer (12 mile) radius of the city, which lies on the western bank of the Euphrates River, had been taken from PKK/PYD terrorists.

He said seven terrorists and a quantity of ammunition were captured.

Separately, the Turkish prime minister’s office said 10 villages around Jarabulus and three around Al-Rai, further to the west along the Turkish border, had been liberated by the FSA without saying which group had previously held the villages.

Operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched on Wednesday, is aimed at improving security, supporting coalition forces and eliminating the terror threat along Turkey’s border through FSA fighters backed by Turkish armor, artillery and jets.