By Shella Abdulhalim
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – From time to time, the US Department of the Treasury applies sanctions on notable Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), due to their involvement in human rights abuses within the areas they control in Syria. Most recently, sanctions were imposed on the Suleiman Shah Brigade (al-Amshat), the Hamza Division, and their leaders.
Both groups are operating in the city of Afrin and its countryside, northwest Syria, which has been under the occupation of the Turkish forces since March 2018 following the so-called “Olive Branch” military operation to push away the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) under the pretext of protecting “Turkish national security”.
The US Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeted on Thursday the Suleiman Shah Brigade and the Hamza Division, as well as their leaders, Mohammad Hussein al-Jassem, Walid Hussein al-Jassem, and Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr for committing serious human rights abuses against those residing in Afrin region, particularly the Kurds.
Treasury said the Suleiman Shah Brigade and Hamza Division “exacerbated the suffering caused by years of civil war in northern Syria and hindered the region’s recovery by engaging in serious human rights abuses against vulnerable populations.”
Al-Amshat faction
The Suleiman Shah Brigade (al-Amshat), formed in 2012 during the early stages of the Syrian conflict, is a prominent faction within the SNA, operating in the Afrin region, in the northern countryside of Aleppo. The brigade exerts significant control over the local civilian population.
The Treasury Department’s statement accused the Suleiman Shah Brigade of deliberately subjecting Afrin’s Kurdish population to harassment, abduction, and other forms of abuse.
These actions were allegedly carried out with the intention of forcibly displacing the Kurds from their homes or extorting significant ransoms in exchange for the release of their property and family members.
Treasury designated the leader of al-Amshat, Mohammad Hussein al-Jassem, known as Abu Amsha, allegedly ordered the displacement of Kurdish residents, transferring their property to outsiders linked to the brigade.
Abu Amsha became well-known during “Olive Branch” military operation, since his faction was accused of seizing civilians’ properties, including land and homes, which he denied in previous statements on his Twitter account.
According to the Treasury, Abu Amsha is believed to generate significant annual revenue, potentially tens of millions of dollars, through abductions, confiscations, and ransoms.
Additionally, al-Jassem’s Turkey-based car dealership, al-Safir Oto, has been implicated, as he allegedly invested his money in it. It is co-owned by Ahmad Ihsan Fayyad al-Hayes, a sanctioned militia leader who leads the Ahrar al-Sharqiya group.
Furthermore, al-Jassem’s younger brother, Walid, has been accused of multiple instances of sexual assault.
Hamza Division
The second faction that was listed by the US Treasury is the Turkish-backed Hamza Division, which was formed in 2016, it operates in Aleppo, northwestern Syria, and has emerged as a notable armed faction in recent years.
Similarly to the al-Amshat faction, which make up the SNA, after the end of “Operation Peace Spring”, Hamza Division was handed control of parts of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) in Hasakah Governorate, in addition to parts of Aleppo northern countryside and Afrin.
It has involved in abductions, theft of property and torture, according to Treasury. The group allegedly runs detention facilities where victims are held for ransom and often sexually abused by Hamza Division militants.
Head of the Division, Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr, was sanctioned for the brutal repression of the local population.
The Treasury highlighted the fact that Hamza Division and its leaders are responsible for kidnapping Kurdish women and “severely abusing prisoners, sometimes killing them.”
A UN report accused the Hamza Division of ill-treatment and torture directly causing death in prisons and makeshift facilities.
Sanctions
The new sanction packages require the freezing and reporting of any assets, including property and financial interests, belonging to these individuals and entities.
These measures apply to assets located within the United States or under the control of US individuals or entities and must be reported to the OFAC.
Moreover, entities that are owned, either directly or indirectly, by 50 percent or more by blocked individuals are also subject to the same blocking measures.
According to OFAC regulations, all transactions involving property or financial interests of blocked or designated persons are generally prohibited both for individuals within the United States and for US persons. This includes transactions that pass through or involve the United States.
“Today’s action demonstrates our continued dedication to promoting accountability for perpetrators of human rights abuses, including in Syria,” Brian Nelson, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
Full Turkish support
The SNA factions not only work with impunity in the areas under their control, but they do so with the full support of Turkey, a NATO member. There are regular and extensive reports of violations committed by Turkish-backed factions, such as al-Amshat, Hamza Division, Ahrar al-Sharqiya, and others in the occupied regions in northwest and northeast Syria.
Despite the mounting evidence of human rights abuses committed under Turkish command and control, the international community has failed to call for the exclusion of Turkey’s proxies, the Turkish-backed Syrian Interim Government from the Syrian peace process.
The crimes committed by the factions and their leaders would not have been possible if they have not been developed, directed and backed by Turkey.
Previous sanctions
This is not the first time the US Treasury imposes such kind of sanctions against the SNA opposition factions, In July 2021, the US Department of the Treasury announced sanctions on entities affiliated with the Syrian intelligence and Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, including Ahrar al-Sharqiya and two of its leaders, Ahmad Ihsan Fayyad al-Hayes and Raed Jassem al-Hayes.
The designation marked the first time the US had sanctioned one of Turkish-backed faction in Syria.
The Treasury stated that Ahrar al-Sharqiya and its leaders are responsible for the assassination of Hevrin Khalaf in October 2019.