Turkey opens sports facilities for Syrian youth in Daesh-free al-Bab

Turkey is set to open sports facilities in al-Bab, a northern Syria town that was cleared from the Daesh terrorists in a recent military operation, the Gaziantep Provincial Youth Services and Sports Directorate announced yesterday.

A football pitch in al-Bab has already gone into service, to the delight of the locals, said a statement by the directorate in the southeastern province.

Various sports facilities are being established for young people in the regions of Jarablus, al-Bab, Bizaah, and Kabasin as coordinated by the Youth and Sports Ministry, the statement added.

Director Ökkeş Demir stated that the ministry continues to pursue projects to enable Syrian young people to have access to sports and artistic and social-cultural activities.

"For artistic and socialcultural activities, we will open four container youth centers in Jarablus," he added.

Since the liberation of the province in 2016, al-Bab's population has jumped from 130,000 to 300,000, with its economy and services benefiting from the safe environment.

Al-Bab, an important crossroads and settlement in northeastern Aleppo province, was liberated from the four-year-long cruel Daesh rule on Feb. 22, 2017, by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters as part of Operation Euphrates Shield launched on Aug. 24, 2016.

Since the town's liberation, Turkey has stepped up its efforts to reconstruct the region in many respects. On Sunday, Turkey's Harran University in southeastern Şanlıurfa announced that it is opening a university campus in the town. There will be six departments in the first phase and trilingual education in Turkish, Arabic and English will also be provided in the campus.

Turkey also opened a 500-bed hospital in al-Bab in April, being the third and largest medical institution in the area. The hospitals, which are run by the Turkish Health Ministry, are equipped with all the necessary equipment in case of an armed conflict.

Besides health services, there has also been a rapid recovery in terms of infrastructure, security and social life in northern Syria in areas liberated by Turkish and FSA forces. An administration was established with the participation of local people in areas cleared of Daesh, including al-Rai, Jarablus, al-Bab and Azaz.

Turkey has overseen that al-Bab, Jarablus, al-Rai and Azaz don't remain in the dark with the help of 600 new solar-powered street lights in July.

Moreover, local councils have also been established to administer the normalization process after the expulsion of Daesh and manage projects on education, infrastructure and the economy. Additionally, regular security forces were formed to ensure protection and stability.