By Muhammad al-Qadi
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkish forces and their affiliated armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), seized control of the two cities of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad in north and northeast Syria following their “Peace Spring” offensive launched on Oct. 9, 2019.
The operation resulted in the displacement of approximately 300,000 people, according to human rights organizations. Since the takeover, the region has been plagued by instability, including reports of arbitrary arrests, extortion, and ransom demands with no legal repercussions, as documented by human rights groups.
Human rights violations
A recent report by the Synergy/Hevdesti Association, a victims’ advocacy group operating in Northeast Syria, that is based in the city of Qamishli, has detailed the numerous violations that have occurred since the Turkish forces and their affiliated SNA factions gained control over Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad. The report highlights a disturbing pattern of arrests, disappearances, and killings.
According to the association, 808 individuals have been arrested over the past five years, including 86 women and 56 children.
At least 294 people have been forcibly disappeared, and 696 have suffered torture, seven of whom reportedly died from their injuries.
The report further revealed that 121 detainees were transferred to Turkey, where 62 individuals were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 13 years to life.
The report also recorded the deaths of 68 civilians, including seven women, at the hands of the SNA factions, with 12 individuals reportedly executed on the spot.
Mass displacement
The Synergy Association also shed light on the ongoing displacement crisis. Over 150,000 residents of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad have been forcibly displaced, with more than 85% of Sere Kaniye’s original population still unable to return.
The Kurdish population in Serekaniye, once numbering around 70,000, has dwindled to just 42 individuals.
In Tel Abyad, where Kurds previously made up 30% of the population, only a few families remain.
Ethnic and religious minorities such as Yazidis, Assyrians, and Armenians have nearly disappeared from the region.
The report also notes the resettlement of 3,400 displaced families from other parts of Syria in homes that once belonged to the area’s original residents.
Additionally, 120 families of former Islamic State (ISIS) members have been settled in seized properties.
Seizure of property and insecurity
The report outlines widespread confiscation of property. Over 6,200 residential homes have been taken from their original owners, along with more than 1,200 commercial and industrial properties.
Furthermore, 52 villages have been completely emptied of their native inhabitants, and over one million dunams of agricultural land have been seized.
The region remains volatile. Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad have seen at least 81 explosions since 2019, causing the killing of 147 civilians, including women and children, and the injury of over 320 others.
Infightings among Turkish-backed SNA factions have led to 71 incidents, resulting in the killing of six civilians and the injury of more than 45 people.
Conclusion
The Synergy Association concludes that the actual scale of violations committed by the Turkish forces and their affiliates is likely far greater than the numbers reflected in their report.
They stress that the situation in Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad continues to deteriorate, with ongoing insecurity and human rights abuses.
Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad, north and northeast Syria, have been under the Turkish occupation and the SNA control 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.”