The third prisoner exchange was carried out within the framework of the agreement reached on January 29 between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian transitional government.
In the exchange on Saturday, 400 people held by the Syrian interim government were released. Those freed were transported to the city of Heseke by buses. The exchange is part of the ongoing integration process conducted within the framework of the agreement between the parties.
With the current group, the number of people released so far from Northeast Syria has risen to around 870. Many of them had been abducted by Syrian government forces and Turkish-backed militias under the command of Damascus during the attacks on the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) areas.
Among those released are also fighters from the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ). How many of them are part of the current group remains unclear. According to earlier statements by a YPJ spokesperson, 35 women fighters were still being held by the Syrian transitional government.
The releases are considered part of an ongoing process, the continuation of which depends on the further implementation of the January 29 agreement. At the same time, the demand remains to free all those still being held. During the offensive, up to 4,000 people from Northeast Syria were abducted, including German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann and her Kurdish colleague Ahmed Polad. Their fate remains unknown.
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