Health controls, food aid underway in N. Syria

ANKARA

Life has returned to normal in the northern Syrian district of Ras al-Ayn thanks to the "heroic" Turkish army, with health checks and food aid ongoing, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said Monday.

"Leaving their fearful days behind and now concentrating on daily life, our Syrian brothers thanked the Turkish nation and said: 'Everything is going well,'" the ministry said.

Ras al-Ayn falls within the area of Turkey’s anti-terror Operation Peace Spring, launched on Oct. 9 to eliminate YPG/PKK terrorists from northern Syria east of the Euphrates River to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees, and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.

On Oct. 22, Ankara and Moscow reached a deal under which YPG/PKK terrorists would pull back 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) south of Turkey’s border, and security forces from Turkey and Russia would carry out mount joint patrols there.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.