ALEPPO, Syria — A large number of mosques in Aleppo province were destroyed by fighting that raged between the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the Turkish army and the Islamic State (IS) as part of Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield. To restore stability to the newly liberated area, the Turkiye Diyanet Foundation embarked on a mission to rebuild and renovate these mosques, to open Sharia education workshops and to provide jobs for hundreds of people.
Many mosques were destroyed by IS mines and explosives, especially in al-Bab, where IS turned some mosques into military headquarters and used the rooftops and minarets of others as sniper platforms, which drew heavy fire.
