ISIL Maintains Presence in Turkey-Controlled Areas in Syria

The ISIL militants are easily moving in Ankara-controlled regions in Northern Syria, including al-Bab, Jerablus, Azaz, Afrin and even Idlib, the Kurdish-language Hawar news website quoted local sources in Northern Aleppo as saying.

The report said ISIL is taking direct orders from the Turkish Army in the region, and mentioned that the ISIL terrorists have even hoisted their flag in the city center of Afrin.

The sources, meantime, told Hawar news that over 800 families have fled the Al-Bab region.

In a relevant development last month, the London-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR) said the Washington-backed militants were trying to find and seize millions of dollars and at least 40 tons of gold left behind by the ISIL terrorist group,

The SOHR reported that the ISIL terrorists had stolen about 40 tons of gold and millions of dollars from the population once under their control in Iraq and Syria, which was later transferred to Eastern Euphrates in Eastern Deir Ezzur.

“The US-led coalition forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) deliberately do not target the areas under the control of the ISIL terrorists and commanders in Eastern Euphrates in Deir Ezzur as they are trying to locate this treasure by forcing the ISIL militants to speak about its location after surrendering,” it quoted informed sources as saying.

They noted that part of the cash dollars and gold have been transferred from Turkey to the areas under the ISIL control by Turkish brokers and intelligence service who have close ties with the ISIL.

Meantime, an SDF Commander, Adnan Afrin, said that the ISIL is now under the siege of the SDF in an area no larger than one square kilometers in Eastern Euphrates.