UPDATES:militants Afrin / ldlib

[Anthea]

Violence, extortion plague militia-held Afrin

A worsening humanitarian crisis, rights violations, and security chaos continue to grip Afrin and surrounding areas under militia control in northwest Syria, according to a war monitor and Kurdish politicians

“Since the Turkish forces and their loyal factions took control of the so-called ‘Olive Branch’ areas, namely Afrin and its affiliated areas northwest of Aleppo, the series of humanitarian crises, violations, and security chaos has been gradually worsening,” the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Friday.

At least 76 people were killed and 57 others were injured this year within areas under the control of Turkish forces and their affiliated militia groups, according to SOHR.

Turkey and its allied Syrian militia groups launched the code-named Operation Olive Branch in Afrin on January 20, 2018, taking control of the Kurdish enclave from the People’s Protection Units (YPG) two months later. The YPG is the backbone of the United States-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that control northeast Syria (Rojava).

Local and international rights groups have repeatedly accused the militia groups of committing human rights abuses against the Kurdish residents of Afrin.

The abuses have continued after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus.

On Thursday, a source from Afrin said members of the armed group al-Amshat apprehended two residents, Masoud Mohammed and Shiyar Jamil Shekho. The group also allegedly stole a car and a tractor whose owners were accused of “not paying taxes to the armed group,” the source told Rudaw, speaking on condition of anonymity.

When the rebel forces led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took Aleppo at the end of November and started their rapid advance on Damascus, Turkish-backed groups of the Syrian National Army (SNA) launched an offensive against Kurdish-held areas north of Aleppo. Thousands of civilians, many of them previously displaced from Afrin, fled. Some have returned to Afrin.

“Around three to four thousand families have returned from Tabqa, Raqqa and Manbij. They are in Aleppo right now,” Ahmed Hassan, the head of the local branch of the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC) told Rudaw’s Nalin Hassan.

“Going from Aleppo to Afrin is very easy now,” he said, adding that tens of thousands of people are waiting to return on tractors.

Some families are asked for money upon their return. “They tax them,” said Hassan.

They are demanded to pay up to $500 per family, according to Azad Osman, another ENKS member.

According to Hassan, the checkpoints in Aleppo are managed by the SNA and the situation on the ground has not changed with the new government in Damascus.

“Aleppo is still the same. There are still taxes, arrests, and the prisoners still haven’t been freed,” he said.

People who are newly detained are taken to court where they can be released if they pay hundreds of dollars for bail, according to Hassa. The courts are managed by the transitional government led by HTS.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... /271220241

[Anthea]

The brutality of invaders

The town of Çilaxa in Cizire Canton welcomed 82 displaced families from Shehba following attacks by Turkish occupation mercenaries. The town council prepared the Martyr Hussein Ibrahim School as a temporary shelter for the displaced families

The IDPs call for unity and struggle despite the pain they have suffered. Amidst the devastating effects of the occupation attacks on the people, the people of Afrin-Shehba are determined to protect their identity, existence and land.

A reporter from ANHA agency interviewed several displaced individuals who shared accounts of the Turkish occupation’s brutality and their appeals for solidarity and perseverance in facing the occupiers.

Şêxmûs Îzet, a resident of the village of Basuta in occupied Afrin, was first displaced in 2018 to Shehba but later settled in Çilaxa after Turkish-backed mercenaries attacked Shehba.

He stated: "Our resistance in Afrin during 2018 lasted for 58 days despite relentless airstrikes by Turkish warplanes. We resisted in Shehba for seven years, enduring the hardships of displacement because of our unwavering hope to return to Afrin and expel the occupiers."

Şêxmûs Îzet detailed their second displacement journey, recounting the horrors and crimes they witnessed, stating: "On the road, we saw the bodies of civilians killed by the mercenaries. We also suffered verbal abuse and psychological torture."

"In Tel Rifaat, mercenaries killed civilians and tied their bodies to vehicles, dragging them around the city square while declaring, ‘This is the fate of every Kurd,’ and shouting, ‘Leave this place; everything you own is now ours," he added.

Şêxmûs Îzet emphasized, "Their goal is to annihilate our people, but they will not succeed. We will continue to resist and fight for our return to Afrin. Afrin is our identity and our very existence. We will struggle to protect this identity and achieve our aspirations.''

Ebdulezîz Kamîran, a displaced student who was studying at the Kurdish Language Institute, vowed to continue his education as a form of resistance and steadfastness against the mercenaries.

"Since the occupation of Afrin, we have been fighting to preserve our identity and our nationhood. We have sacrificed and endured much but have never surrendered or bowed to the savagery of the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries, who aim to obliterate our people and alter the demographics of our homeland," he said.

Another displaced civilian, Wefa Şaman, said that they will not forget the crimes committed by the gangs of the Turkish state and said:

“Our vehicle broke down on the way and the gangs blocked us. Then we had to continue on foot towards Tabqa and Raqa. We will never forget the atrocities committed by the occupiers. We will continue our struggle until we return to our lands.”

[Anthea]

Over 4,000 Families Return to Afrin

Ahmed Hassan, a prominent leader of the Kurdish National Council in Syria (ENKS), confirmed that the return of displaced families to the city of Afrin

According to Hassan, more than 4,000 families have returned to their homes in the region since efforts began.

In a statement made to BasNews on Saturday, Hassan recalled the mass displacement of Afrin's residents in 2018, following intense fighting and Turkish military operations.

Many people were forced to flee, but the ENKS has worked tirelessly to facilitate their return. Hassan emphasized the importance of reclaiming their ancestral homeland, saying, "We called for the people to return to their homeland, the place of their ancestors."

The ENKS leader explained that the organization's advocacy has played a significant role in preventing demographic changes in Afrin, with efforts aimed at encouraging and assisting refugees in returning. "We provided free vehicles to transport their belongings back to their homes," Hassan added.

According to the Kurdish official, the return of displaced families is ongoing, with the majority of returning families being Arab rather than Kurdish. This shift reflects the region’s complex demographic makeup following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Hassan noted that the situation has improved with more freedom in the region, motivating people to come back to their villages, towns, and cities.

However, Hassan also expressed concerns about ongoing issues related to the treatment of prisoners from Afrin. Despite the release of many prisoners from Syrian jails after the fall of Assad's regime, he pointed out that many individuals from Afrin, including those who have committed no crimes, remain imprisoned without explanation.

He called for the immediate release of these prisoners to allow them to return home.

Finally, Hassan highlighted that the people of Afrin are now experiencing a sense of relief, as they no longer face additional charges for returning to their homeland. "People's livelihoods are bad, but they are relieved that they can come back without facing further obstacles," he said.

The ENKS’s efforts to support the return of displaced families in Afrin remain a pivotal part of its ongoing campaign for stability and the preservation of Kurdish identity in the region.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/871227

[Anthea]

We will not forget crimes of Turkish state

Turkish state and affiliated mercenaries carried out invasion attacks on Til Rifat, Shehba and Aleppo countryside

The people who were forced to migrate from Afrin to Shehba due to the attacks of the Turkish state in 2018 have recently experienced a second wave of migration, this time to safer areas of Northern and Eastern Syria.

The people of Afrin, who have been resisting for the last seven years, emphasise that they will continue their struggle with determination. Many families displaced from Shehba have settled in a student dormitory in Hesekê city of Cizre Canton. Struggling to survive here, Afrin IDPs spoke about the suffering and difficulties they have faced.

Leyla Mistefa stated that they had migrated to Shehba 7 years ago due to the Turkish state's occupation of Afrin and now they were subjected to a second migration. Leyla described her experiences as follows: “We witnessed many things during the war in Afrin. When we migrated to Shehba, we were on the road for days. Life in Shehba was very difficult; we were under siege and constantly under attack by the occupying Turkish state. Our children were injured in the bombardments, yet we resisted with the hope of returning to Afrin. Our struggle for seven years was only to return to Afrin.”

Remarking that they had to migrate to Cizre Canton following the most recent attacks of the Turkish state, Mistefa said that this migration took place under much more severe conditions. “We personally witnessed all the crimes committed by the occupying Turkish state on the way to migration. We saw with our own eyes the bodies of the slain people and the brutality against the people. We can never forget these incidents and neither will our children. For them, these incidents have turned into a nightmare.”

Mistefa stated that after they reached Hesekê, the Democratic Autonomous Administration provided assistance with all its means while international organisations remained silent: “No international organisation has come to our side so far. Our people are living in great difficulties. Still, our hope is to return to our lands one day.”

Zekiye Hebeş stated that they migrated from Afrin 7 years ago and the village of Um Hush near the border was constantly bombed. "We migrated again and came to Cizre Canton. We have many needs here. We settled in ruined houses, and living conditions are very difficult. In Afrin, we were living on our own and did not need anyone. Still, we will continue to make a living and survive no matter what.”

Heyder Bekir stated that the Turkish state’s attacks against the Kurdish people have not stopped for a moment, but the Kurdish people continue their resistance with determination. Drawing attention to the difficulties they are experiencing, he said: “We are currently staying in a youth hostel and we are facing many difficulties. The international community is silent about this situation and provides no support. Humanitarian organisations and institutions should come and see the difficulties we face here.”

Heyder Bekir added: “We will never give up our struggle. We will always struggle in order to be able to return to Afrin. The Kurdish people will not bow down to anyone.”