Displaced person from Northeast Syria yearns for home amid adversity

By Dilsoz Youssef

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the city of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) in Northeast Syria are grappling with the harsh realities of displacement, all the while holding onto the hope of returning home. Their narratives are steeped in pain and longing, as they dream of the day they can once again embrace the familiar comforts of their communities.   

With weariness etched on his face, Muhammad Muslim stares at his phone, scrolling through images of destruction that have ravaged his village in Sere Kaniye countryside.

These scenes, depicting the devastation wrought by Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), serve as a haunting reminder of the tragedy that has befallen an the entire community.

After a few moments lost in thought, Muslim shuts off his phone, overwhelmed by the flood of cherished memories from his village, Ain Hasaan—a once-thriving destination renowned for its stunning natural beauty.

In 2019, Muslim and his family, along with tens of thousands of other residents, were forced to flee the Sere Kaniye area in the wake of the Turkish invasion and the onslaught of the SNA factions.

As the fifth anniversary of their displacement nears, 33-year-old Muslim reflects on the painful details of their plight and the heartbreaking destruction of his home village. 

Barrage of shells

When the Turkish military operation commenced, Muslim, like many others, was taken aback by the relentless airstrikes targeting the city center, leaving him filled with fear and uncertainty about how to respond.

Reflecting on that fateful day, he described the attack as utterly brutal, with planes overhead unleashing bomb after bomb, while shells fell on the city like a torrential downpour.

Recognizing that a military assault was underway, Muslim quickly grabbed his family and jumped onto his motorcycle, navigating through backroads and fields as the main route to the city center became gridlocked with those fleeing for their lives.

As chaos reigned and people scrambled to escape, Muslim characterized the scene as a profound tragedy. It was a horrifying tableau, with individuals with disabilities attempting to flee, some people even running barefoot from their homes, and the panic resulting in heart-wrenching instances of parents leaving their children behind.

Initially, Muslim escaped to a village called al-Jamiliya, but after only a few days there, Turkish planes bombed a school in a nearby area, forcing him to flee once more. This time, he ultimately found refuge in the village of Tel Nasri, close to the town of Tel Tamr in the north of the city of Hasakah.

Upon arriving in Tel Nasri, he and his family faced uncertainty about where they would sleep or stay. For more than ten days, they spent nights under the open sky, unsure of what the future held.

Since that harrowing experience, Muslim has been living alongside dozens of other displaced families in Tel Nasri, grappling with their uncertain circumstances together.

Totally obliterated

Despite the painful reality of displacement, residents of Ain Hasaan were stunned when social media accounts began circulating images of SNA factions’ bulldozers demolishing homes and uprooting trees in their village.

This destruction occurred on March 22, 2022, coinciding with the Newroz celebrations. According to locals, nine homes were leveled and orchards were destroyed to convert the village into military bases and training grounds.

Muslim elaborated on this tragic event, asserting that the demolition of his village stemmed from its annual Newroz celebrations and the fact that its residents are Kurdish, indicating a deeply rooted racist motive behind their actions.

He recounted that the SNA militants first detonated explosives in an empty house, then set fire to other homes, and ultimately used bulldozers to raze the village entirely.

With deep sorrow, he described the heart-wrenching impact of these images, stating that seeing their village reduced to ruins shattered their hopes and represented the destruction of years of hard work, leaving them feeling powerless to respond.

We want back even in a tent

On the fifth anniversary of the invasion of their city, Muslim and his fellow residents refer to that day as a dark turning point, yet they cling to a flicker of hope for a future where they can return home.

He lamented that for five long years, they have been unable to reclaim their homes and lives, often seeing the factions of the SNA engage in endless conflicts on social media.

Muslim noted, “These individuals are ready to fight over something as trivial as a chicken, so how can we possibly live among them? Those who attempted to return have either been arrested or killed.”

He underscored their urgent desire to go back to their village and homes, even if it means living in makeshift conditions under a tent.

Since the Turkish forces occupied Sere Kaniye alongside the SNA factions following the “Peace Spring” military operation in 2019, the region has remained under occupation.

The operation, framed as a measure to secure “Turkish national security”, ultimately led to the mass displacement of the city’s inhabitants, with tens of thousands now residing in camps throughout the Hasakah countryside, struggling to survive in dire living conditions.