108 mosques in northern Syria restored by Turkish group

AZAZ

A Turkish group related to Turkey's religious authority has restored and repaired 108 mosques in areas of Syria damaged by terrorists, it announced Wednesday.

The Turkish Diyanet Foundation (TDV) -- affiliated with Turkey’s Religious Affair Directorate -- has plans to restore 160 more mosques damaged by YPG/PKK terrorists, it added.

In its Operation Euphrates Shield which ended in March 2017, Turkey cleared the northern Syrian regions of Jarablus, Al-Rai, Al-Bab, and Azaz of YPG/PKK terrorists.

Ordinary Syrians and local religious leaders welcomed and praised the foundation’s restoration and repair work.

“We're so glad that Turkey has given due attention to our religious places and rituals,” Ahmet Yasin, a religious leader in Azez, told Anadolu Agency. “We're very grateful to the foundation and Turkey.”

Hasan Ahmed, a muezzin who calls the faithful to prayer in al-Bab, said the mosques look almost as good as new.

“The carpets, broken windows, and even walls were fixed,” he added.

Reporting by Omer Koparan:Writing by Sadik Kedir Abdu