Why is Turkey so invested in rehabilitating Syrian city of al-Bab?
After Turkey and allied rebel forces ousted the Islamic State from the northern Syrian city of al-Bab, Ankara is now doubling down on efforts to rebuild infrastructure and boost education in the area.
ALEPPO, Syria — In a bid to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees in Turkey to their homes, the Turkish government has been making considerable efforts to reconstruct and rehabilitate the destroyed Syrian areas that were liberated during Operation Euphrates Shield, a cross-border military operation launched by Turkey in partnership with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) on Aug. 24, 2016, against the Islamic State (IS) in northern Syria.
The Turkish efforts focus mainly on the reconstruction of the city of al-Bab, located in Aleppo's northeastern countryside, 38 kilometers (roughly 24 miles) from the FSA-held city of Aleppo. The FSA managed to wrest control of the city from IS on Feb. 23, as part of Operation Euphrates Shield.
The local council in al-Bab receives substantial support from the Turkish government, which pays the salaries of its employees, including heavy equipment such as pickup trucks as well as the necessary operating expenses to remove the rubble of destroyed buildings and clear blocked roads.
The city has been given a face-lift. According to a statistical report by the information office of al-Bab’s local council, which Al-Monitor secured a copy of, the population of al-Bab has reached 150,000 people.
