Turkey gives language, religious education classes in northern Syria

Turkey is providing language and religious education classes in the Turkish-controlled region of northern Syria, state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.

The provincial mufti in Turkey’s southeastern Şanlıurfa province is providing lectures on the Quran in Syria’s Tal Abyad and Ras al Ayn on the demand of locals, Anadolu said, citing the Şanlıurfa Governor’s Office.

Turkish courses are being offered with the support of the state-run Yunus Emre Institute, it said.  

Turkey, supported by Turkish-backed rebel forces, gained military control over Syria’s Tel Abyad and Ras al Ayn regions following a military incursion in Oct. 2019, dubbed Operation Peace Spring. The operation targeted Kurdish forces Ankara sees as an existential threat due to their ties to an insurgency on Turkish soil.

Since the operation, Turkey has started to provide municipal and civil services in the region, including for postage, property, healthcare and education, expanding the country’s control in these areas.