Scarred by Daesh rule, a Syrian town rises from the ashes

On the western banks of the Euphrates River in northern Syria, a town is rising from the ashes.

Reconstruction in Jarablus is taking place at a surprising rate as people return to the area.

Structures are emerging on almost every street in stark contrast to other parts of Syria where they're being destroyed.

But brick and mortar cannot erase the memories of life under Daesh.

"They came and knocked on my door. They put a hood over my head, put a gun to me and brought me here [in front of this prison],"  Fawaz, a Jarablus resident imprisoned by Daesh, said.

"They tied me up and hanged me from the ceiling, and kept beating me until I was unconscious. This lasted for three months." 

The population of the town has increased ten-fold since opposition fighters, backed by Turkish forces, captured the city from Daesh a year ago during Turkey’s Euphrates Shield offensive.

The military operation was launched on August 24, 2016, with the aim of ridding Turkey's southern border of the presence of Daesh and the YPG, a Syrian affiliate of the PKK, which the US and Ankara designated as a terrorist group.

The city may quickly be recovering from its physical wounds, but the emotional scars run deep. Even so, as TRT World's Alican Ayanlar reports, people are hopeful.