TEHRAN, May 22, YJC - The people in al-Bab city in the Northern parts of Aleppo rallied to protest at the Turkish army and its allies' deployment in the region.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Local sources in al-Bab reported that people held protest rallies in Sheikh Aqil district of al-Bab which has been occupied by the Turkish army and Ankara-backed militants.
They added that tens of people in the region carried placards to protest at Ankara and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's policies.
They also chanted slogans including "Erdogan listen! We don’t obey your cruel army. This place belongs to us".
The rally was held after Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said the country is considering establishing a base near the Syrian city of al-Bab.
Kaynak said location of the base currently being considered by the Turkish General Staff is Aqil Hill, West of al-Bab.
The Turkish military established a temporary base at the strategic site after capturing it in February and has been considering turning it into something more permanent since.
Speaking after a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kaynak added that Turkish military presence in the area has been reduced from 8,000 at the peak of the Operation Euphrates Shield to 1,500.
Turkey sent its military into Syria in August last year to prop up local militias allied with Ankara against ISIL and Kurdish forces. The confrontation with Syrian Kurd militias, which Turkey considers an off-shoot of the Turkish-based militant movement Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), put Ankara at odds with the US.
Source: FNA
Your Comment