By Mo’ayed al-Sheikh
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Thirty-year-old Sumer al-Ibrahim failed in three risky attempts to cross to the other side, but this time not to Turkey, from which he was forcibly deported a few days ago, but to “the other side of the homeland,” as he described it.
At the beginning of July, the Turkish authorities deported al-Ibrahim, along with hundreds of Syrians, as part of the ongoing deportation campaign against Syrian refugees living in its territory.
After settling in the area of Tal Abyad, north of Raqqa, he told North Press, “We were all confused. The Turkish forces placed us in the area, and none of us is from here, so we didn’t know what to do. We arrived at the of the city center of Tel Abyad, where we found hundreds of people who had fled and informed us that the situation was as it appeared before our eyes.”
The deportees to these areas spend the night sleeping in gardens, mosques and roads. There is no party that provides even a meal or a cover. “The situation was very difficult. I stayed for three days like this with hundreds and maybe thousands of deported people. We do not know what to do. We learned that the area is besieged and there is no choice to return to Idlib except through smuggling routes and from here the suffering that is full of risks began,” he recounts.
Factions of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), along with Turkish forces, have controlled the areas of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), north of Hasakah, and Tel Abyad, north of Raqqa, since late 2019 following a military operation dubbed ‘Peace Spring’.
There is no road connecting these areas with other areas controlled by the Syrian opposition in northeastern Aleppo, northwest Syria. This is because they are completely isolated and surrounded by Syrian government forces on one side and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on the other, and the Syrian-Turkish border to the north.
Turkey sought to forcibly deport as many Syrian refugees to the areas of Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye, despite the fact that many of those deported are from parts Aleppo, Idlib, and Hama countryside, which are also under the control of the Syrian opposition.
This gave the opportunity for smugglers affiliated with SNA factions to exploit the situation and demand large sums of money from those who want to cross from Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye to Idlib and Aleppo countryside.
Al-Ibrahim, along with many young men and after agreeing with one of the smugglers who belong to the SNA’s Sultan Murad faction, embarked on his first attempt to cross into SNA-held Jarabulus, in eastern Aleppo, for a sum of money estimated at $550.
The smuggler promised them that the road was safe and that they would reach Jarablus in less than three hours, “but that these were just empty words.”
As they approached the location known as ‘Arrow 6’, which is opposite to a government checkpoint, a landmine exploded with one of the vehicles. “Fortunately, no one was injured. However, after that, gunfire was opened at the group from all directions, and with great difficulty, we managed to return to the starting point.”
“We realized then that it was not easy. Despite that, we tried to cross twice but again failed, and here I am now in one of the parks in Tel Abyad under the scorching sun. We can only complain to God,” al-Ibrahim adds.
Forty-year-old Amjad al-Hussein had to travel a distance of more than 250 kilometers to reach al-Bab city, in northeastern Aleppo, and then to his village in Sahl al-Roj, west of Idlib, after he was forcibly deported by Turkish authorities to Tel Abyad city on July 16.
Al-Hussein, 42, says that he was lucky in his trip and that he did not face many risks encountered by those who want to cross to Aleppo countryside, because he had paid $800 for smugglers affiliated with the SNA’s Sham Front faction. These smugglers coordinate with officers of Syrian government forces who in turn take care of receiving those who want to cross to Aleppo countryside.
Al-Hussein went with seven people, including three women, to Manbij city and then to Aleppo city and they were handed over from there to another group that delivered them to Abu al-Zendin crossing near al-Bab city.
“I had to pay that big sum of money to reach Idlib, because the conditions I had lived in during my stay in Tel Abyad were very difficult; I did not face anything like them throughout my life. We had to sleep in the streets for many days under the scorching sun, and we were looking for someone who would provide us food at least,” he tells North Press.
After all those difficulties, the man refuses to think about returning to Turkey “even if it is free.” “We will not forgive those [SNA factions] who exploited our need, especially since they are supposed to be there to safeguard us. We did not want anything from them but at least they should find a shelter for those women who sleep on the roads.”
For his part, Saif al-Shami, who works as a coordinator between smugglers and customers, and lives in Tel Abyad city, tells North Press that Turkey deliberately deported Syrians recently Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad. This has actually opened the door for smuggling again.
“Smuggling a young man from an SNA-held area to Jarablus or al-Bab used to cost between $150 and $250 before the deportation crisis, and it was increased about $100 if the person who would be smuggled is a woman or an elderly. However, today’s cost exceeds $500, and sometimes reaches more than $900 which is an unreal sum of money. In fact, those parties exploit the need of those deported and their lack of knowledge of the situation in the area,” he notes.
Al-Shami notes that several factions, including the al-Sham Front, Sultan Murad, Hamza Division, and Ahrar al-Sharqiya, have shown increasing interest in smuggling activities due to the significant financial gains involved.