The Syrian army captured the Karakozak area, where the Süleyman Shah Tomb compound is located, from the terrorist PKK/YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Tuesday evening, securing the position just minutes before a cease-fire between the two sides took effect.
According to local reports, Syrian government forces advanced into the area at around 7 p.m., an hour before the 8 p.m. truce came into force. The operation followed intense clashes earlier in the day in the southern parts of the Ain al-Arab district in Aleppo province.
Troops stationed west of the Euphrates River had been unable to cross a nearby bridge due to heavy fire coming from YPG/SDF positions on the opposite bank. As a result, Syrian forces accelerated their advance along the Sirrin front, moving north toward Ain al-Arab and encircling the Karakozak village area.
The region fell under government control shortly before the cease-fire deadline. However, YPG/SDF forces had heavily mined the vicinity of the bridge and the grounds of the tomb site, preventing troops from entering the area immediately.
Officials said the zone will be secured after explosives and mines are cleared, paving the way for full stabilization of the region.
The legendary tomb has had three locations. It was originally located near castle Qalat Jabar in Syria's Raqqa until 1973, when it was moved up the Euphrates banks to Aleppo governorate, 27 kilometers (17 miles) from the Turkish border, to avoid being flooded. In early 2015, Türkiye moved the tomb 22 km (14 mi) west of Ain al-Arab to protect it from the threat posed by Daesh terrorists.
Control over the tomb was given to Türkiye by the Treaty of Ankara after the Ottoman Empire lost Syria in World War I.
