According to the Human Rights Organization Afrin-Syria, eleven men were abducted by Turkish-backed militias in the village of Tel Aran in the southern outskirts of Aleppo. The incident occurred on Saturday evening when armed jihadists entered the village and arrested the group of residents in front of a residential building.
The abducted residents were then taken to the so-called Al-Waha prison in the Safira district, which is controlled by Islamists loyal to Ankara. According to the organization, a 17-year-old is among those kidnapped. The names of most of those arrested have been published, while the identity of one other person is not yet known.
According to the organization, the alleged perpetrators are mercenaries from militias operating under the command of the jihadist alliance “Syrian National Army” (SNA), which was established and is controlled by Turkey. These groups have been the subject of international criticism for years due to human rights violations and war crimes in Turkish-occupied regions such as Afrin, Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain), and Girê Spî (Tal Abyad).
The organization stated that the abductions were part of a systematic practice. Time and again, civilians—especially young men—are abducted, intimidated, or detained under pretexts such as alleged cooperation with the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) or property ownership.
In recent months, there have been an increasing number of similar incidents in the region. The ongoing repression and security threats have prompted many teenagers and young men to leave the region, including via unofficial routes to Lebanon.
The Human Rights Organization Afrin-Syria warned of further escalation in the region, stating that repeated violations of civil rights, arbitrary detentions, and intimidation by armed groups are increasingly destabilizing the security situation and contributing to a climate of fear that is driving young people in particular to flee.