Couple from Syria’s occupied Afrin long for home, struggle to return

By Samer Yassin

HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Every morning, 60-year-old Ismet Mohammed, known as “Abu Shahin,” tends to an olive tree he planted upon arriving in Tel Nasri, an Assyrian village in northern Syria’s Tel Tamr countryside. He fled his home in Afrin seven years ago, when Turkish forces and affiliated armed factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), occupied the region on March 18, 2018.

Displacement

Originally from the village of Almadara in Afrin’s Rajo district, Ismet and his wife first sought refuge within Afrin city, hoping to return home. However, as Turkey consolidated its control, they were forced to flee further, eventually settling in Tel Nasri along with dozens of other displaced Afrin families.

In January 2018, Turkey and SNA factions launched a military operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Afrin, leading to nearly two months of battles. The offensive forced around 190,000 Kurdish residents to flee, fearing persecution. Following the displacement, Turkey resettled thousands of Syrians from other regions into Afrin, significantly altering its demographics.

Following the fall of the al-Assad regime and the formation of a new transitional government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, he along with some General Security forces, visited the city of Afrin and its countryside in order to impose control over it and dissolve the factions.

However, Turkish-backed factions continue to dominate the area. Hundreds of residents of the city and its countryside have been subjected to intimidation and violence by SNA factions after many of them returned to their homes.

“We want to return safely”

Despite witnessing the return of many displaced Syrians to their hometowns, Ismet remains hesitant. “We see people from Hama, Homs, and Aleppo going back, and we want the same. But we need a safe, respectful, peaceful environment,” he says.

While some Afrin residents have returned, reports of ongoing violence, theft, and kidnappings deter many others. “People are still being robbed and killed. There is no sense of security,” he laments.

He says, “We do not just want to return for ourselves, but we also want the owner of this house and everyone else to return to their homes and their homeland. We hope that everyone returns to their homes safely, as a person only feels comfortable in their homeland and the place where they were born and raised.”

Ismet and his wife, Amina Dallo, urge human rights organizations and the United Nations to pressure Turkey into allowing a safe return for displaced civilians. “We hear that armed groups have even stolen the doors from our homes—only the walls remain,” he says bitterly.

Amina, in her fifties, refuses to return under current conditions as Turkish forces remain in Afrin. “If there is no safety, we will not go back. The people here welcomed us, and we will stay until true peace is restored,” she says.

She recounts distressing stories of women and girls from their village who were imprisoned upon returning. “We did not sacrifice so much just to go back and live under the enemy’s mercy,” she declares.

Memories of home

Each morning, as they sip coffee beside the olive tree—Afrin’s iconic symbol—Ismet and Amina reminisce about their old life in Rajo. “Before the revolution, I moved back from Aleppo to Afrin and started a farming project. My family and relatives were all nearby,” Ismet recalls.

Amina fondly remembers Afrin’s rich harvest seasons. “The olive season was always a joyful time. I miss picking grapes for molasses and making traditional sweets. Even if we find the same fruits here, they will never taste like Afrin’s,” she sighs.

Despite her longing, fear of continued violence holds her back. A recent phone call with a relative in their village confirmed her worst fears. “Armed militants entered the village, which now has only four original families left. When someone tried to stop them from looting houses, they demanded $500 to leave him alone,” she says.

Later, she learned that their family homes had been completely ransacked. “There’s nothing left.”

A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report titled, “Everything is by the Power of the Weapon: Abuses and Impunity in Turkish-Occupied Northern Syria,” documents that the Turkish-backed SNA factions, and the Military Police established by Turkey carried out abductions, arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention, sexual violence, and torture.

HRW pointed out that Kurdish residents overwhelmingly “have borne the brunt of the abuses due to their perceived ties to Kurdish-led forces that control vast swathes of northeast Syria,” in an indication to the Syrian Democratic forces (SDF).

The report documented “violations of housing, land, and property rights, including widespread looting and pillaging as well as property seizures and extortion, and the failure of attempted accountability measures to curb abuses or to provide restitution to victims.”

HRW found that Turkish Forces and intelligence agencies were complicit and involved or oversaw these abuses.

“Turkish officials are not merely bystanders to abuses, but bear responsibility as the occupying power and, in some cases, have been directly involved in apparent war crimes,” Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at HRW said.

For displaced Afrin residents like Ismet and Amina, the hope of returning home is clouded by these grim realities.