Turkish official says first civilians head home to Syria since offensive

A group of 292 Syrians went home to the Syrian town of Jarablus today, marking the first formal civilian returns from Turkey since the start of a Turkish-backed incursion into northern Syria, a Turkish regional official said.

Jarablus, which had been held by Daesh, was the first town captured by the Turkish army and its Syrian rebel allies in an offensive launched on 24 August. Turkey, which hosts three million Syrian refugees, has said it wants to provide a safe zone for civilians to return to Syria.

“The formal returns have begun today. We wouldn’t consider anything before that as formal passage. This is the first time since the operation began,” a spokesman at the governor’s office for Gaziantep province, which lies across the border from Jarablus, told Reuters. He said more would return gradually.