A commander in the Free Syrian Army (FSA) said that measures have been taken to restore normal life in the town of Jarablos with the help of Turkish authorities who pledged to provide all possible support.
The FSA and rebel groups have taken control of an area extending around 16 km along the Turkish border with a depth of nearly 13 km since they launched “The Shield of the Euphrates” offensive on Wednesday to oust ISIS from northern rural Aleppo.
Captain Abdel Nasser Jalal, commander of the FSA Alhamza Brigade which took part in the offensive, told Anadolu Agency that one of the biggest obstacles they faced upon entering Jarablos were mines, IEDs and booby traps set up by ISIS militants in civilians homes and streets of the border town. He said that the FSA and rebel fighters set upon removing them to enable civilians to return to their homes.
Jalal pointed out that dozens of civilians returned to their homes in Jarablos after the area has been declared safe. He described the elation shown by the residents of Jarablos upon ousting militants of the extremist group from their town.
Turkey announced it will contribute to efforts aimed at stabilizing the situation in the town and restoring life back no normality, Jalal said. He added that Turkish support will include the restoration of bakeries and the repairing of water wells and other vital civilian facilities.
The FSA Commander went on to say that checkpoints have already been set up at the entrances of the town to prevent any infiltration attempt by ISIS militants or any sleeper cells in the surrounding areas. He noted that the FSA began putting in place a security apparatus in Jarablos to maintain security in the town.
Mohamed Alghabi, commander of the FSA-affiliated Liberation Army, said that they will help establish law courts in Jarablos to manage the affairs of the civilian population. He pointed out that FSA groups will take on ISIS in new areas in northern rural Aleppo to establish a link-up with the FSA-held border town of Alraie in the east.
Alghabi added that the next target of “The Shield of the Euphrates” offensive will be the strategic town of Albab northeast of Aleppo.
The town of Jarablos and the surrounding villages were home to around 90,000 people, but many of them had to escape after ISIS had taken control of the area in September 2013.
The Syrian Coalition on Thursday highly praised the Free Syrian Army groups for the liberation of the town of Jarablos from the ISIS terrorist organization.
The Coalition stressed that the Syrian revolution, with all its political, military and revolutionary forces, will continue to fight terrorism in all its forms. It called on the brotherly and friendly countries as well as the international community to step up support for the FSA to help defeat terrorist organizations and their sponsors in Syria, mainly the Assad regime; the root cause behind the spread of terror, chaos and destruction in Syria.
The Coalition also called on the FSA groups to protect civilians and ensure their return to their homes in Jarablos. It called on the Syrian interim government to expeditiously restore services and re-operate public services so that civilian life is restored in the town. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Anadolu Agency)
