Opposition groups arrest women in Syria’s Turkish-occupied Afrin and extort their families

(North Press) – Human rights organizations revealed on Thursday, that the Turkish-backed armed opposition groups continued their series of arrests against civilians in the Afrin region, northwestern Syria, which have recently affected four women with the aim of extorting their families.

The Human Rights Organization in Afrin posted on its official Facebook that members of the Ahrar al-Sharqiya group kidnapped last Sunday, Kurdish civilians, including four women from the village of Baflour in Jinderis district.   

The organization added that the detainees were taken to the security headquarters in the center of Jinderis district, with the purpose of extortion and demanding ransom from their families.  

The organization stated that the detainees are Adib Mustafa Abbas with his wife Aysha Hesso Hamid, Farida Hamo Hussein, Amina Hamid Hannan, and Shafiqa Muhammad. 

It noted that the group members demanded a ransom of between 1,500 and 2,000 Turkish liras from the detainees’ families in exchange for their release.  

On the same day, the Turkish intelligence, accompanied by the Military Police, arrested the 27-year-old man, Hogar Alo from the village of Dikei, in the Bulbul district, on charges of dealing with the previous administration, according to the organization.

The organization indicated that Mustafa Alo, the father of the young Hogar, was previously kidnapped at the Kokana village crossroad and then released.  

Since the invasion of Afrin by Turkish forces and their affiliated armed opposition groups in 2018, over 150 women and girls have gone missing from the area, and the fates of many remain unknown.  

One US-based independent researcher documents the kidnappings and disappearances of these women to raise awareness of the continuous violations happening in Afrin.

On September 15, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry published its biannual report in which it said, “During the period under review, civilians residing in the Afrin region of Aleppo Governorate witnessed an onslaught of violations perpetrated by members of the Syrian National Army as well as shelling and vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.”

“Looting and property confiscation by the Syrian National Army in mainly Kurdish areas is rife. Whole communities and cultures are under attack. UNESCO sites have been bulldozed and looted,” the report added.