A young man from Afrin, A.B., who returned to his hometown on April 4 in the second return convoy, shared the photographs and footage he captured of the city revitalized by spring with ANF. Speaking to us by phone, A.B. said, “The city of olives, Afrin, is waiting for all its displaced people.”
In 2018, the people of Afrin put up epic resistance during the 58-day “Resistance of the Age” against the Turkish state and affiliated armed groups. Thousands were displaced, and hundreds, including women and children, were killed.
After the city was occupied in March 2018, a large part of the population could not return. The years-long forced displacement was later addressed in the agreement signed on January 29 between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian transitional government. One of the most important provisions of the agreement was to ensure the safe and organized return of displaced people.
Within this framework, more than 400 families returned in the first convoy, and around 200 families in the second convoy. A.B., who was part of the second convoy and did not disclose his name for security reasons, was among them.
On the evening of April 3, while waiting with his family in front of the buses at the Yusuf Gulo junction in Qamishlo, A.B. bid farewell to his friends, saying, “Are we really going back to Afrin?”
Before setting off, however, he was determined: “I will go to Afrin. First, I will visit all the villages and towns, see the nature I have been deprived of for years, and capture Afrin’s spring.”
The convoy set off on the morning of April 4 and arrived in Afrin that same evening. When A.B. called for the second time, he was in tears of joy: “We have arrived in Afrin. Now I will travel through the villages and capture the spring.”
Afrin was known for its fertile plains, mountains, and especially its olive trees. Before the occupation, there were more than 40 million olive trees in the region. Since 2018, however, the cutting down of thousands of trees and their exploitation for trade has caused significant damage to Afrin’s natural environment.
A.B. explains that the city center has changed significantly: “I cannot recognize the streets. Irregular construction dominates. The face of the city is no longer its former inhabitants. It feels as if a dark tent has been cast over it.” He adds that what is portrayed in the media does not fully reflect reality, and in fact, services are almost nonexistent.
The young man notes that the villages have relatively preserved their former state, but the mountains and forests have suffered severe damage. Nevertheless, thanks to the heavy rainfall this year, spring has blossomed extraordinarily beautifully. A.B. says, “Flowers have bloomed in every color. It is as if they are welcoming the return of the Kurds. These colors resemble the colors of Kurdish symbols.”
“Afrin is a Kurdish city; no one can change its identity. Those who migrated are slowly returning. People will once again embrace the olive trees and kiss their land.”
It is planned that a third convoy will set out from Heseke within this week. The returns, expected to include around a thousand families, will continue gradually within the framework of the January 29 Agreement.
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