Several hundred families from Afrin have departed from the city of Hesekê toward their home region. The return is being carried out as part of the implementation of the agreement signed on 29 January between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian transitional government.
According to the authorities involved, the first group consists of approximately 400 families, totaling around 3,000 people. The convoy departed from Hesekê and is traveling via Raqqa, Tabqa and Aleppo toward the Afrin region. It includes hundreds of private vehicles belonging to the families as well as dozens of buses provided by the Council of the Displaced Persons from Afrin and Shehba and the Syrian Civil Defense.
Hesekê
Internal Security Forces escort the convoy
The convoy is being escorted by units of the Internal Security Forces. The departure of the return convoy was monitored on site by, among others, the Deputy Commander of the Internal Security Forces in Hesekê, Mehmûd Xelîl (Siyamend Afrin), and Asayish commander Nesrîn Abdullah. Representatives of the Autonomous Administration were also present, including Co-Chair of Foreign Relations Ilham Ehmed, Co-Chair of the Syrian Democratic Council Layla Qaraman, and the Governor of Hesekê, Nûredîn Îsa Ehmed. Some families had already traveled in the morning from Qamishlo to Hesekê to join the convoy.
Qamishlo
The Internal Security Forces had announced over the weekend that the first group of displaced people from Afrin would return on Monday. The destinations of the return are the districts of Shiye, Jindires and Mabeta.
Mehmûd Xelîl also stated that a security crossing toward Afrin is expected to be opened within the next three days to facilitate the return of more displaced people. The aim is to allow as many displaced residents as possible to return to their homeland before the Newroz festival on 21 March.
Once the safest region of Syria
The Afrin region was occupied in March 2018 by Turkey and jihadist militias allied with Ankara. With the start of the internationally unlawful attack two months earlier, the area—previously considered the safest region in Syria—became the scene of systematic human rights violations and war crimes. In addition to pursuing a classic colonial policy, the Turkish occupying power also implemented a policy of ethnic cleansing. More than 400,000 people were displaced from their native settlements. At the same time, the region was deliberately subjected to demographic engineering through the settlement of Islamist militias and their families.
Afrin almost completely looted
Kidnappings, torture, extortion, murder, looting and artillery attacks shaped the daily life of the remaining Kurdish population of Afrin—often with the de facto tolerance of the international community. At the end of January, within the framework of an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian transitional government, the return of displaced people was decided. However, it remains unclear under what conditions the returnees will find themselves in the formerly occupied region. Arabs from various countries who had been settled in Afrin during the invasion reportedly looted the area before leaving, emptying numerous homes and public institutions.
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