By Serbest Hassan
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – New details have emerged regarding the killing of the Kurdish boy, Ahmad Khaled Ma’mo, who was killed on March 13 by a settler in the countryside of Afrin, northwestern Syria. The details suggest other individuals were possibly complicit in the murder.
The incident has sparked public outrage and protests in the region, to which the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), responded with gunfire, violence and suppression.
Yamen Ahmad Ibrahim, who hails from the village of Sinjar in the countryside of Idlib, northwestern Syria, settled in Afrin region with his family six years ago after the SNA took control over the area.
Ibrahim “brutally” stabbed Ma’mo multiple times and threw him into a well, according to Human Rights Organization in Afrin.
A relative of Ma’mo, who preferred to remain unnamed for security reasons, revealed to North Press that Ibrahim used to work at a bakery owned by the victim’s father but was fired a week prior to the incident for stealing.
Knowing that Ma’mo liked motorcycles, Ibrahim lured him into his house in the town of Jindires in the southwest of Afrin, saying he had an engine and other parts he wanted to give to the victim.
As for the details of the incident, Ma’mo’s relative said Ibrahim stabbed the boy about ten times, then tied a rope around his neck and threw him into a 30-meters-deep well, which the forensic report confirmed.
Additionally, the murder occurred between 03:00-06:00 PM before Iftar time, which prompted his family to look for him when he did not return home.
Days after the incident took place and news were circulated, Ibrahim’s father turned his son over to the Turkish-backed Civil Police in Jindires.
Ma’mo’s relative said several individuals, working in local councils established by Turkey in Afrin, revealed that six other individuals assisted Ibrahim to carry out the murder. He emphasized that such an act could not have been carried out by an 18-year-old boy alone.
“The murder was not a spontaneous act, but rather was planned days in advance. There are other individuals complicit in this murder, perhaps Ibrahim’s father and siblings as well,” Ma’mo’s relative said.
He believes that Ibrahim’s father handed his son over to the Civil Police in Afrin to protect him.
Viral footage on social media captured the heartbroken mother of the young boy expressing her grief and frustration, saying “What have we done? We are being brutally killed because we are Kurds. I will not seek justice through the courts, which are under the control of those responsible for my son’s murder.”
“I want justice for my son. Why do you kill Kurdish children?” she said.
“The entire Kurdish community is under threat, left without any support or protection. Today, they took the life of my child, and tomorrow it could be your children who suffer the same fate,” she added.
Meanwhile, Ismael al-Muhammad, a lawyer and a human rights activist, emphasizes that these actions clearly violate international laws, including the four Geneva Conventions, which prohibit war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to al-Muhammad, the recent murder of the 16-year-old Kurdish boy Ahmad Khaled Ma’mo serves as undeniable evidence of Turkey’s deep-seated hostility and the actions taken by the forces operating under its command against the Kurds.
He further explains that the SNA factions have been responsible for horrendous crimes against the innocent civilian population since they occupied the majority-Kurdish region of Afrin in March 2018, following the so-called Olive Branch military operation.
The operation resulted in the killing and injury of thousands, and the displacement of about 300,000 of the original Kurdish inhabitants. As for those who chose to remain in their homeland and not to flee, they have been subjected to widespread human rights violations.
So far, Turkey has not issued an official statement regarding Ma’mo’s murder despite being the de facto controlling force in Afrin region.
The political activist points out that Turkey’s support and facilitation of these factions are instrumental in the occurrence of such crimes.
Al-Muhammad concludes that the Turkish government’s cover-up of these heinous actions and its policy of settling families of SNA militants from various Syrian regions in the Afrin area contribute to the displacement of Kurds from their homes and exacerbate the volatile environment, perpetuating violence and causing immense suffering for innocent civilians.