TEL TAMR, Syria (North Press) – In front of a warehouse for agricultural supplies, on the outskirts of the town of Tel Tamr, north of the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakah, Zahra al-Hassan, a resident of one of the town’s villages, awaits an unknown fate after she is now stranded.
The woman, who was displaced from her village, al-Sheikh Ali, as a result of the Turkish shelling, told North Press that their condition is “very difficult,” as for months, every time they went to a place, the shelling followed them.
They have been displaced several times during the past few months. At first, they went to the Assyrian village of Tel Shanan, east of the town. However, they left it, too, and went to the wilderness after it was shelled as well. Eventually, they ended up in this “uninhabitable” home.
Following the Turkish “Peace Spring” military operation in October 2019, which resulted in the occupation of the two cities of Tel Abyad, north of Raqqa, and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), north of Hasakah, Turkey signed two ceasefire agreements, one with Russia and the other with the US.
The agreements stipulate halt of all hostilities there and the withdrawal of the SDF 30 km in depth away from the Turkish border in addition to conducting Turkish-Russian joint patrols in order to monitor the implementation of the agreements.
Statistics of Tel Tamr Local Council indicate that since 2019, nearly 5,000 families have been displaced to Tel Tamr region. In addition, “29 villages affiliated with the town are now occupied by the Turkish forces,” said Jwan Ayoub, co-chair of the Tel Tamr Local Council.
Unfortunately, the warehouse, which lacks the most basic necessities of life, is the only shelter for the 7-member family.
Although they escaped the shelling, “the sounds of the shelling still reach us. We live in a state of fear,” al-Hassan said.
In the recent period, villages of the countryside of Tel Tamr have been undergoing intensive shelling by the Turkish forces and the SNA factions on an almost daily basis, spreading panic among the residents, according to what North Press monitored.
The woman was contemplating their miserable situation and wondering about their unknown fate. After all, their first home was destroyed by a Turkish shell, and “here you cannot find a job, and [humanitarian] organizations do not provide us with any help,” the woman said.
According to Ayoub, 22 inhabited villages in Tel Tamr have been lately turned into the main target for the Turkish artillery.
While her children were playing in the home’s hallway, the woman was wondering about the future of their education. “What is their fault to be deprived of education,” she said.
Fifteen schools in Tel Tamr have been turned into shelters for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), which has had significant impact on the educational sector, according to the town’s directorate of education.
Due to the Turkish shelling, thousands of IDPs now live in the town and its southern countryside. Most of them live in uninhabitable places such as schools and unprepared homes, according to data collected by North Press.
The villages of these people “were inhabited, but the Turkish bombardment has left them almost empty now. Some people lost their lives, and others were injured,” the co-chair said.
Most of those displaced went to Newroz Camp in Derik’s (al-Malikiyah) countryside, and their number is estimated between 700 to 800 families, according to Ayoub.
Few meters away from al-Hassan’s home, resides Haksha Muhammad with her family. They were displaced from the village of al-Arisha, which has been under the control of Turkey and its affiliated armed factions since 2019 when Turkey launched a military operation on Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad.
Muhammad said that they have been displaced for three years, and their situation now “is getting worse.”
“Our former home was ours, but this is not. We are renting it for 50,000 Syrian pounds ($13) [per month]. The cost of living has become exorbitantly high for us,” she added.
With crying eyes she proceeded: “Our situation here is below zero. The war destroyed us.”