Istanbul: A Turkish university says it will open a campus in one of the northern Syrian regions under the control of Turkey's military and its Syrian rebel allies, deepening Ankara's role in an area it has held for nearly two years.
Turkey launched operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 to push back Islamic State and Syrian Kurdish fighters from a stretch of northern Syria west of the Euphrates River, including the towns of al-Bab, al-Rai and Jarablus.
Syrian children play last month in a camp for displaced people on the outskirts of Jarablus, one of the Syrian towns under the control of Turkish-backed forces.
Photo: APTurkey's Harran University, in the south-eastern province of Sanliurfa, said it was preparing to open a faculty in al-Bab for students in towns under Turkish control.
Children walk in the outskirts of al-Bab, northern Syria last week.
Photo: APThe university will provide education in Turkish, Arabic and English, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.