A known jihadist with links to al-Qaeda has recently met with Syrian opposition figures in Afrin, images posted by local human rights monitors and activists revealed.
The photographs show Abdallah al-Muhaysini, who was designated as a terrorist by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for his role in the leadership of al-Nusra in 2016, in a meeting at the Afrin headquarters of Failaq al-Sham, a Syrian National Army (SNA) faction that has been accused of disturbing human rights violations—including the murders of Yezidi civilians, the destruction of shrines, and the alleged kidnapping and torture of a fifteen-year-old Kurdish girl named Roya.
Just last week, local monitor Ezdina reported that the group raided the village of Basufan— whose population was primarily Yezidi prior to the occupation— and abducted eight people. Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) president Nasr al-Hariri was recently seen in Basofan in an attempt to whitewash demographic change there, a move condemned by Yezidi organizations in North and East Syria.
Also, reportedly present in the meeting was Muslih al-A’layani, another jihadist associated with al-Nusra.
On one level, this is simply the recurrence of a pattern most Syria watchers know all too well. Turkey views Islamist extremists as less threatening than the prospect of Kurdish autonomy on its borders, a threat perception that has put it at odds with virtually all of its allies. Former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was found and killed in rebel-controlled Idlib, just miles from the Turkish border. At a demonstration held in occupied Serekaniye in support of a French terrorist who beheaded a schoolteacher, multiple protestors brandished ISIS flags.
The timing of the meeting, however, sends a specific message to the United States, the UN, and other international stakeholders. The fourth round of UN-sponsored constitutional negotiations is currently ongoing in Geneva. Just days ago, U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Joel Rayburn met with the leadership of the SOC— the political authority that governs Afrin and that is represented in the Geneva talks.
For an opposition armed group to host a figure like Muhaysini while their political wing enjoys such a position on the global stage proves that Turkey and the opposition expect international apathy towards their poor governance and tendency to harbor extremists to continue. Years of silence on deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions in Turkish-controlled areas have created a culture of impunity that empowers radical Islamists and leaves civilians to suffer— a recipe for future instability.
This should raise several questions for the international community. The extent to which Turkish-occupied territory provides resources to extremists and gives them an opportunity to recruit and propagandize must be clarified and publicly noted. States and international organizations must dispense with baseless claims of opposition “moderation,” and make an assessment based on facts.
The type of security activity that Turkish-backed forces do carry out should also be scrutinized. The SNA’s “counter-terrorism” campaigns mostly consist of abductions and enforced disappearances of innocent civilians accused of having ties to Kurdish parties and organizations. Some are released to their families on ransom, while others are taken to Turkey and jailed on anti-state charges under Turkish law. A security apparatus with close ties to a NATO army and the ability to carry out so many operations that is choosing to use this capability solely to attack and extort civilians is not a viable partner for any foreign country, nor an entity that can make any positive contribution to Syria’s future.
Turkey, the SOC, and the SNA should be held accountable for creating these conditions in the manner that they have. There was no political, social, or military space for radical Islamism in Afrin when it was controlled by the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration; local authorities instead prioritized ethnic pluralism, women’s rights, and religious freedom.
By destroying this fragile democratic experiment and committing atrocities against the communities who built it, occupying authorities have rolled out the red carpet for terrorists at the expense of civilian lives. Individuals and entities that sponsor extremists and persecute civilians in these areas should be sanctioned, and their access to international negotiations on the future of Syria should be called into question.
If other parties to the Syrian conflict continue to ignore the spread of extremism in Turkish-controlled areas, the mere presence of jihadist figures in these regions will be the least of the international community’s problems. These elements rightly believe that they have complete impunity for their actions—and will take that opportunity to build influence for generations to come, setting all hopes of peace and stability in Syria back. While the local population will suffer most from such an outcome, they will not be the only victims. It is long past time for states to call the opposition’s bluff on their public displays of extremism and impose consequences.