In the Tal Abyad district of northern Syria, which was cleared of the terrorist organization PKK's Syrian branch YPG with Turkey's Operation Peace Spring, a primary school and a kindergarten destroyed by the terrorist group, have been put into service after the completion of restoration efforts.
According to the statement made by Turkey's southeastern border province Şanlıurfa's governor office, Zeynep Binti Hüseyin Primary School and kindergarten, which were destroyed by the terrorist organization YPG, were restored by the national aid agency Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal and Turkish Ensar Humanitarian Aid Association.
Şanlıurfa Governor Abdullah Erin thanked the aid organizations and Pakistani philanthropists on behalf of the children of Tal Abyad.
Erin, who cut the opening ribbon of the school with the students, visited the classrooms with accompanying students and distributed shoes, clothing, bags and stationery items provided by Pakistani philanthropists for the students.
After the opening ceremony, a protocol was signed between the Şanlıurfa governor's office, the Pakistani Bait-ul-Mal and the Turkish Ensar Humanitarian Aid Association for the repair of another school in Tal Abyad district.
Erin stated that good works are being done with the support of Pakistani Muslims, adding: "They help people in need in this corner of the world, they extend their hands and show their brotherhood. As the State of the Republic of Turkey, this aid and support is of great value to us. Their moral value is more than their material value."
Children in northern Syria's Tal Abyad are now hopeful about their future as 22 schools in the region have been rebuilt, repaired and put back into service as a result of Turkey's efforts.
Tal Abyad was cleared of YPG terrorists through Turkey's cross-border Operation Peace Spring in 2019. Since then, Turkey has been working to reestablish stability and security in the region and these efforts have also focused on the field of education. In the district of Tal Abyad, which was occupied by the YPG, schools were destroyed by the terrorist organization, using them as so-called military bases for four years. Tal Abyad is populated mostly by Arabs and was occupied by the Daesh terrorist group in 2014. A year later, the YPG took control of the town with the support of the U.S.-led coalition.
Locals living in areas held by the YPG have long suffered from its atrocities, as the terrorist organization has a notorious record of human rights abuses, ranging from kidnappings, recruitment of child soldiers, torture, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement. While the terrorist group increased its oppression ahead of Turkey's cross-border operation, they planted explosives and converted many schools and other public buildings into military bases, with some even hosting tunnels for terrorists to hide in and escape.
After liberating the town from the YPG, Turkey rolled up its sleeves to launch a normalization period in Tal Abyad, which borders the Akçakale district of southeastern Turkey’s Şanlıurfa. Since then, Turkish troops and organizations have implemented a wide range of measures to eradicate traces of terrorism in the liberated towns by repairing hospitals and schools, demining the region and, most recently, providing vital COVID-19 aid.
Protocol for water infrastructure
Meanwhile, a protocol was signed between the governorship of Şanlıurfa and the international aid organization World Vision International for the rehabilitation of the drinking water network and the improvement of health facilities in the Operation Peace Spring region.
According to the statement made by the governor's office, with the protocol signed between Governor Erin and World Vision International Turkey Representative Cenk Kalfaoğlu, studies will be carried out for the rehabilitation of the drinking water network and improvement of one hospital and two health centers in the region.
Erin, whose views are included in the statement, stated that they cooperate with many associations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the region and said: "This project is very important in terms of drinking water, sewage and other aspects. We have done important work with the funds provided so far. It will be the first time to work with a budget that big."
Kalfaoğlu, for his part, said: "As the governorship, the support you give us is very important. We are hopeful for the services we promised and will do later, using our technical capacity as much as we can. We thank you again for giving us this opportunity."
Within the scope of the project, which primarily aims to provide uninterrupted drinking water to schools and hospitals, studies will also be carried out to supply clean and healthy drinking water to households.
The project, which will start as of Oct. 1, 2021 and is expected to be completed in 24 months, will carry out integration and improvement activities of one hospital and two health centers in Tal Abyad.