In Pictures

Operation ‘Euphrates Shield’ ends ISIL rule in Jarablus

Syrian rebels backed by Turkish forces drove ISIL out of Jarablus, a strategic town on border with Turkey.

Ahmed Deeb Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech that the operation targets ISIL and PYD [Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party] terror groups. [Ahmed Deeb/Al Jazeera]

Karkamis – On Wednesday Turkish troops and special forces backed by the Free Syria Army launched operation “Euphrates Shield” against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) to liberate the strategic Syrian city of Jarablus on the border with Turkey.

About 40 Turkish tanks and 2,000 Free Syrian Army fighters have entered into Jarablus around midday, shortly after Turkish air forces conducted raids targeting ISIL positions in Jarablus.

The Turkish army ordered the evacuation of Karkamis, a Turkish town on the border with Jarablus, a day before the operation began.

The battle for Jarablus lasted 14 hours before the FSA announced on its Twitter account that they captured the city and raised the Syrian Revolution flags over its buildings.

Euphrates Shield operation is considered to be the first Turkish ground intervention in Syria since the Syrian crisis started in 2011.

Turkish foreign minister warns against escalation with Iran, explaining how Ankara sees the future of regional security.

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Many Syrians feel liberated by the army pushing out the Kurdish-led SDF. But others fear government troops.

Kurdish fighters with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prepare to head towards the front line before the end of a four-day truce with the Syrian government in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, Saturday, January 24, 2026 [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP]

Analysts say a temporary ceasefire may bring relief, but the complex issues behind the violence must be addressed.

Buses stand by close to the Lairamoun roundabout as they wait to enter the Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood to evacuate US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters from two districts of the city of Aleppo, northern Syria, on January 9, 2026.

Demonstrators in Turkiye demand global pressure on Israel, calling the so-called ceasefire ‘a slow-motion genocide’.

A young girl holds Turkish and Palestinian flags as people demonstrate.