Residents of Tal Abyad thank Turkey for restoring peace

On Tuesday, the Turkish Defense Ministry posted a video on Twitter showing residents of the northern Syrian town of Tal Abyad expressing their gratitude to the Turkish army and government for clearing the area of the presence of the PKK’s Syrian affiliate, the People’s Protection Units (YPG) terrorist organization, and renovating the local school for children to resume studies.
Having sustained damages due to being used as a headquarters of the YPG terrorist group, the school has since been reopened thanks to a renovation effort supported by the Turkish Defense Ministry and Şanlıurfa governorate and has welcomed 115 students.
“Our school is now better than ever. If God permits, the world will also be better than before too,” a child from Tal Abyad said in the video.
A woman also thanked Turkey’s president saying: “We are thankful to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He helped us to the best of his ability. We thank the Turkish army and the Turkish government.”
Another local said there was no school in Tal Abyad when it was under the control of YPG terrorists. Tal Abyad was freed from YPG terrorists thanks to Turkey's counterterrorism operation in northern Syria.
Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring on Oct. 9 to eliminate YPG terrorists from northern Syria in order to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.
As part of the operation, Tal Abyad was officially freed of terrorist elements on Oct. 13. Following the liberation, many schools were discovered to have been converted into military bases by the YPG, with some even hosting tunnels for terrorists to hide in and escape. Extensive efforts were therefore launched to repair and renovate schools and continue educational activities in the district.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union, has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is its Syrian offshoot.