Syrian rebels capture Al-Bab from IS

2,000 Syrian families set for citizenship: Turkey

BEIRUT: Turkish-backed Syrian rebels announced on Thursday that they had taken full control of the northern town of Al-Bab from the Islamic State jihadist group after weeks of deadly fighting.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported that rebels had overrun the centre of the town, which had been a key IS stronghold just 25-km south of the border.

"We are announcing Al-Bab completely liberated, and we are now clearing mines from the residential neighbourhoods," said Ahmad Othman, commander of the Sultan Mourad rebel group.

"After hours of fighting, we chased out the last remaining IS rank and file that were collapsing after the fierce shelling of their positions," he added.

But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that IS fighters were still present in parts of the town and the rebels were in control of less than half of it.

The rebels launched their offensive to capture Al-Bab last year with the support of Turkish ground troops, artillery and air strikes.

Field commanders from two other rebel factions in the town confirmed the news to AFP.

"Yesterday (Wednesday), we captured the city centre, which was IS’s security zone... The jihadists collapsed, and this morning around 6 am (0400 GMT) we completed the operation," said Saif Abu Bakr, who heads the Al-Hamza rebel group.

Abu Jaafar, a field commander of the Mutasem Brigades, said he expected clearing up operations would be wrapped up within hours.

"Dozens of IS fighters were killed and we evacuated more than 50 families from inside Al-Bab," Abu Jaafar said.

Turkey sent troops into Syria in August last year in an operation it said targeted not only IS but also US-backed Kurdish fighters it regards as terrorists.

The battle for Al-Bab has been the bloodiest of the campaign with most of the 69 Turkish soldiers killed dying there.

Meanwhile, Istanbul authorities on Thursday said 2,000 Syrian families in the city could be set for Turkish citizenship but the government insisted approval would only come after an April referendum on boosting the president’s powers.

"Until now in Istanbul, documents have been prepared and sent for further processing to the (interior) ministry for 2,000 families," Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin told reporters in Istanbul.

Shortly after Sahin’s comments were reported, Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak insisted it would not be approved before the referendum on creating an executive presidency.

Turkey will vote on April 16 on whether to boost President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers under a system the government says would be like France or the United States.

"Let there be no doubt in anyone’s mind, we are not working on granting citizenship before the referendum," he said, quoted by NTV broadcaster.

"There are are 55 million voters in the country -- even if 15,000 to 20,000 become citizens and use their vote, would the result change?" he said.

Kaynak added there would be security checks before any approvals were given.

Sahin pointed out that the citizenship process "will take some time" and that any decision was at the "discretion" of the ministry.

The government says more than 2.7 million Syrian refugees live in the country after fleeing the six-year conflict which has killed over 310,000 people. Less than a tenth live in refugee camps, the rest in Turkish cities.

According to Sahin, 540,000 Syrians reside in Istanbul among the 15 million people living in the city.

Erdogan said last July that up to 300,000 Syrians could be granted citizenship "if they want it" which led to a backlash from the public and opposition politicians. Last month Erdogan said skilled Syrian and Iraqi refugees currently working on the black market would be granted citizenship if they pass security tests.