By Dilsoz Youssef
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – In the city of Qamishli, northeast Syria, Maher Zaim and his brothers have engaged in labor market after being forced to leave their hometown, the city of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), due to the Turkish incursion four years ago.
The brothers who relocated in Qamishli used to own several stores and shops in Sere Kaniye. However, they forcibly left everything behind when they were displaced.
Sere Kaniye has been under the occupation of the Turkish forces and has been controlled by the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), since 2019 following the so-called “Peace Spring” military operation that aimed to push away the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) under the pretext of protecting the Turkish national security.
Zaim told North Press that during the attacks of Turkey and the SNA factions, “we left all our properties.”
“We suffered a lot, like all the people of Sere Kaniye. All efforts our parents made have vanished in an instant due to the attacks. The damages need decades to be recovered,” he added.
Homesickness
Zaim and other merchants say that the SNA had seized their shops and stores illegally and prevented them from returning.
“After the clashes ended, we wanted to return to our city, but those mercenaries seized our shops and did not allow us to return. In the end, we are civilians and have never carried weapons or attacked anyone,” he said.
“Those who tried to return to the city were arrested and tortured, and their families were extorted. That is why we could not return. We contacted the SNA factions, asking them to allow us to return, however, they threatened us saying that we will be arrested,” according to Zaim.
“We hope to return someday. Those who were expelled from their homes will not forget easily,” he added.
Sere Kaniye has become almost empty of its original inhabitants, as there are now only about 50 Kurdish people left, most of whom are elderly. Meanwhile, there is no longer any Yazidis, whose population used to be around 3,000 people, according to the Yazidi House.
The residents fear returning to their homes due to the ongoing violations by the Turkish forces and the SNA.
Most of the SNA factions are involved in arbitrary arrests and torture. In the first six months of 2023, the Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press recorded the arrest of 496 people, 79 in Sere Kaniye and 13 in the Turkish-occupied city of Tel Abyad, north of Raqqa Governorate, north Syria.
Starting from scratch
In the industrial zone in Qamishli, Bashir Ma’o, automotive part retailer from Sere Kaniye, rented a shop for electrical spare parts.
Ma’o who used to own shops in Sere Kaniye indicated that his financial situation was good before the displacement, but the SNA factions “stole everything.”
He told North Press, “After the Turkish incursion and those mercenaries took control of Sere Kaniye, they seized all our properties. My brother, who was a doctor, lost his clinic as well.”
Ma’o said, “Our losses amount to more than $200,000 after displacement.”
“Previously, my three brothers and I used to own our own shops, but now we all work together in one shop because we no longer have capital.”
“Shortly after our displacement, I obtained pictures show my shops completely looted. We tried to return to the city, but it was difficult because our fate would be unknown, especially since we are Kurdish and they already have charges against us,” Mo’a stated.
IDPs from Sere Kaniye have accepted the reality and adapted to a new life, waiting for a political solution for the war-ravaged country that has been suffering for over a decade.
Mustafa Zaim, from Sere Kaniye, has been running a shoe store in Qamishli for over three years.
Before displacement, he used to own a shoe shop and a warehouse in Sere Kaniye, but he left empty-handed as he barely managed to escape with his family under the Turkish airstrikes and artillery shelling.
The 40-year-old man indicated that after his displacement, he stayed in contact with a friend in Sere Kaniye, who informed him that the SNA factions had broken into his shop and stolen his goods.
The man told North Press, “I have been greatly affected… But this is nothing compared to the blood shed that happened in the city.”
He further added, “I could not return. My mother returned once, and they barely allowed her to enter our house for a few minutes. They make excuses and accuse us of belonging to the SDF.”
Zaim said that “it is still difficult for me to recover from the effects of displacement. We have hope of returning to Sere Kaniye someday, but for now, we have started from scratch.”