Residents return as Syria’s Tel Rifaat freed from PKK/YPG after 8 years

TEL RIFAAT, Syria

Displaced residents have continued their return to the key Syrian district of Tel Rifaat on Dec. 3, as Syrian opposition forces reclaimed the town after eight years of PKK/YPG terrorist control.

Last week, as a result of clashes between opposition forces and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s troops, the regime forces withdrew from multiple areas, including Tel Rifaat, leaving them to be occupied by PKK/YPG terrorists.

In response, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) launched Operation Dawn of Freedom to reclaim these territories from the terrorist group.

Within a mere three hours, the opposition forces completely secured Tel Rifaat, a district situated just 18 kilometers from the Turkish border. The SNA infiltrated the town center in a nocturnal operation that involved taking control of four strategic locations.

With the town center liberated from terrorist control, thousands of Syrians displaced to regions like Azaz, Marea and Afrin began returning to their homes in the district.

The SNA is taking measures to ensure the safe return of civilians by addressing the presence of tunnels and traps in the central part of the region.

“Is there anything better than returning to one's home and land? Thank God we are back after 10 years,” resident Ahmet Said told Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency.

Cemal Kapso, who had been displaced from Tel Rifaat nine years ago, said: “We were told many times before, 'You will return to your homes.’ Thank God, the PKK was expelled from the district and we returned to our homes.”

The operations are expected to continue due to the presence of numerous tunnels and heavily mined areas.

The terrorists, forced to retreat from the center, fled to Fafin on the southern edge of Tel Rifaat.

In the wake of the retreat of the terror group, a considerable cache of tanks and armored vehicles left behind by the fleeing militants fell into the hands of the SNA.

Meanwhile, the terrorist organization launched an offensive on Dec. 3 to drive the Assad regime forces and Iran-backed groups out of seven villages in Syria's Deir ez-Zor province, east of the Euphrates River.

According to local sources, PKK/YPG terrorists launched a three-pronged early morning offensive on Dec. 3 and clashes are still ongoing.

Iranian-backed groups have a strong presence in the region, from Deir ez-Zor's city center to the Al-Bukamal district near the Syria-Iraq border.

Almost all of Deir ez-Zor's territory east of the Euphrates River is occupied by the U.S.-backed terrorist organization, PKK/YPG, while the Assad regime and Iran-backed groups control the provincial capital and other rural areas.