Residents returning to Tell Abyad after Turkish-FSA invasion
Life is gradually returning to Tell Abyad after the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army took control of the city from Kurdish forces.
ALEPPO — Operation Peace Spring, the Turkish military offensive launched Oct. 9 into northern Syria, displaced thousands of civilians from Tell Abyad, in Raqqa province. After the Free Syrian Army’s (FSA) National Army (NA) took control of Tell Abyad, on Oct. 13, displaced residents began returning to their homes, with fighting between the FSA/NA and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (PYD) limited to the countryside. Turkish organizations, including the Turkish Red Crescent and the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, provided relief and medical assistance.
A burst of violence on Nov. 2 shook a downtown market in Tell Abyad when a car bomb exploded, killing at least 16 people and wounding 20. Tell Abyad, strategically located in the center of the border with Turkey in northeastern Syria, had been one of Turkey's main targets during the invasion. No group claimed responsibility for the bomb attack.
