Mother and son abducted in Afrin

Four years after Turkey’s occupation of Afrin, the terror of the regime installed in the northern Syrian canton continues unabated. The paramilitary “military police” have abducted two people from the village of Dargirê in Mabeta district. Those affected are Fîdan Mehmûd Henan (61) and her son Semîr Cemal (42).

Henan’s daughter Ceylan Semîr Cemal (36) is being held in an occupation forces prison. The attack on the family occurred after the mother visited her daughter on March 18. Ceylan Semîr Cemal is the mother of two daughters, Diclan (3) and Cûlya (2).

March 18 marks the fourth anniversary of the occupation of Afrin in violation of international law. The occupation of the canton in northwestern Syria, which until then had been self-governing according to the principle of democratic autonomy, was preceded by a war of aggression launched by Turkey, a NATO member state, together with jihadist mercenary groups on January 20, 2018 under the cynical name “Operation Olive Branch”. Afrin had until then been spared from the warfare in Syria and was considered a safe haven despite the embargo and isolation – until the attacks by the Turkish army and its Islamist proxy forces began. Hundreds of people lost their lives in these attacks, thousands were injured and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee. The people of Afrin and their YPG and YPJ defense forces resisted for 58 days under sustained bombardment. On March 18, 2018, the decision was made to withdraw to prevent mass murder and complete destruction of the region.

The war in Afrin is far from over; it has only just begun with the occupation. There are battles and explosions almost daily, resulting in a large number of civilian casualties. Through arrests, kidnappings, hostage-taking with high ransom demands, as well as assassinations and torture, an authoritarian regime has been established under Turkish occupation that spreads fear and terror and has become a haven for ISIS members and other jihadists. For women, life there is like a prison, as many no longer leave home for fear of everyday violence. Forced marriage, sexual violence, torture, murder, and hundreds of women abducted by Turkish-backed armed groups are part of the daily reality faced by women and girls there. In total, more than 8,000 abductions by the occupation forces are believed to have occurred.