After spending the last six years under aerial bombardment and occupations, 1.5 million Syrians in the north of the country were finally able to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in peace as 200 towns in northern Aleppo were purged of Daesh presence with Operation Euphrates Shield, which carried out by the Turkish miltary.
Muhammed Ibrahim, member of the Jarablus Council, praised the peace that came with Operation Euphrates Shield, saying, "Together with the Turkish Army, we created an opportunity for people to celebrate eid like they used to before the war. The city’s markets were full of crowds. For the past 10 days, people who resettled in Jarablus, Azaz, Marea and al-Bab, were shopping with their families."
"This eid, the situation is different, we brought peace and security to the region with the help of the Turkish Army as evidenced by the enthusiasm people have shown as they celebrate eid. "
Thousands of Syrian refugees crossed the border gates of Öncüpınar and Clivegözü during the month of Ramadan to visit relatives in Syria.
The gates, which swelled with large crowds journeying back into the country, are set to remain open until July 14.
The creation of safe havens in northern Syria in the aftermath of the Euprates Shield is one of the factors credited with increasing the flow of refugees returning to spend Eid al-Fitr with their families in cities such as al-Bab and Jarablus, which have been cleared of Daesh by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) following the operation that began in August 2016.
