QAMISHLI, Syria — On Oct. 12, Turkey announced it has seized the area from Ras al-Ain to Tell Abyad as part of Operation Peace Spring. The area extending from Derek on the border with Iraqi Kurdistan to the city of Darbasiyah adjacent to the Turkish-Syrian border was separated from the rest of the area to the east of the Euphrates. The Turkish army and Syrian opposition armed factions had taken over this area. It should be noted that Ras al-Ain — known as Sere Kaniye in Kurdish — is seen as the gateway to other areas in northern Syria and to the east of the Euphrates.
Under the agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian regime on the return of the Syrian regime army to the self-administration areas, Syrian forces entered the town of Tal Tamr, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Ras al-Ain, on Oct. 14.
