Where exactly is Jarabulus and which forces are active there?
Codes for the map: Brown - ISIL / Yellow - YPG / Green - Regime / Pink - Opposition
DERVİŞ CEMAL
With a population of about 20,000, Jarabulus is a town, within the district of Aleppo, located on the Syrian side of the Turkey-Syria border across from Turkey’s Karakamış, Antep.
Saudi Arabia, Quatar, and USA are in support of the operations over this town, where ISIL had taken over the control of in 2014 from Al-Nusra.
Jarabulus is also located to the west of Euprates River, where Turkey has defined as its ‘red line’; and, operations there are carried out also with the aim of preventing Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is the spine of YPG that has recently took part in seizing control in Manbij from ISIL. And, Manbij, which is now under the leadership of SDF, is located right below Jarabulus.
While SDF were at the rural areas of Jarabulus, Ankara was already in alert in case of a possible attack over Jarabulus from south.
Among the jihadists that are sent over to Jarabulus under Free Syrian Army are several armed groups such as the Sultan Murad Soldiers, Nurettin Zengi Soldiers, Damascus front, Rahman corps, and more.
Jihadists had been transported to Karkamış (Antep, Turkey) days before from the regions, such as Aleppo, Idlib, and Azaz, that have been under the control of ‘moderate opposition forces.’