AIN ISSA, Syria (North Press) – Out of fear of being targeted by Turkish-backed armed Syrian groups and despite having an accident as a result of excessive speed, 31-year-old Ahmed al-Hasan, a driver living in the town of al-Jalabiya, east of Syria’s Kobani, speeds for nine kilometers before reaching the town of Ain Issa.
Al-Hasan, who transfers construction workers from Kobani to Raqqa in his car, is forced to travel on M4 Highway passing by Ain Issa town on a daily basis.
The Turkish-backed factions’ bombardments mainly target passersby and their cars in Mafa, 10 km west of Ain Issa, but driving too fast also causes traffic accidents.
The town of Ain Issa is a link between the areas of Jazira, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Kobani, Manbij, and Aleppo.
For livelihood
Despite the narrow road which does not exceed three meters in width and potholes, al-Hassan drives over 110 km per hour.
His fears do not vanish until he crosses the risky area between Ain Issa town and Abu Sora village.
“When we drive in the risky area, we do not know whether we will die in a car accident or as a result of being targeted by the factions with shells or bullets,” he added.
The Turkish base and posts of the factions, which are stationed west of Ain Issa, are only 500m from the M4 Highway.
On July 21, a civilian lost his life and others were wounded as a result of Turkish bombardment on the M4 Highway.
A month ago, al-Hasan ran into a truck as a result of excessive speed. “We are forced to risk our lives in order to manage our livelihood,” he said.
Meanwhile, the M4 Highway is the only route to link between areas of Kobani, and those of Raqqa, Hasakah, and Deir ez-Zor.
As a result of the invasion of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad by Turkish forces and Turkish-backed armed groups, the M4 Highway linking Ain Issa town and Tel Tamr was closed in November 2019.
The highway was reopened in May 2020 after long talks between Turkey and Russia to allow civilians to cross from Tel Tamr to Ain Issa with Russian protection, according to Pavel Igorian, the Russian officer at the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria, in his previous statement to North Press.
Meaningless guarantees
The guarantors of the ceasefire and protection of the M4 Highway are turning a blind eye to violations committed by Turkey and the affiliating factions, according to the driver and residents of Ain Issa.
“What we witness everyday shows no protection for civilians in this area and no guarantees for passersby,” al-Hassan elaborated.
Russian troops have been supervising the M4 Highway since the signing of the Sochi agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in late 2019.
Bus driver Mustafa Abdi said that they have been subjected to almost daily attacks since Turkish forces took over Tel Abyad and established their posts on the road.
“The successive targeting of civilians that occurs in plain view of Russian troops and Syrian government causes us to distrust any party; however, we put our lives at risk from accidents and drive fast when passing by dangerous areas for the sake of securing our livelihood,” he told North Press.
Meanwhile, Ain Issa Camp and villages on the M4 Highway including al-Hoshan, al-Dibs, and al-Khaldiya, west of Ain Issa, witness successive targeting by Turkey and their affiliated factions.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) set up berms on the northern part of the Highway in order to protect cars from the Turkish shelling.
On August 5, three children and their father lost their lives, and a girl and her mother were wounded, in a bombing by Turkish forces and their affiliated opposition factions on the family’s house in the countryside of Ain Issa.
Turkey signed two different ceasefires, one with the US and the other with Russia, on October 13 and 17 in 2019.
In the first half of 2021, 60 traffic accidents occurred in the same area in which 17 individuals lost their lives, 22 were critically wounded, and 35 were lightly wounded, according to traffic department.
As a result of excessive speed, accidents often occur on the route that links Ain Issa and Abu Sora, Nawras Mahmud, an official in traffic department of the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) in Ain Issa, told North Press.
Additionally, successive targeting forces drivers to speed up and turn their lights off at night to avoid being shot or shelled, but these cause frequent traffic accidents, he added.