First convoy of displaced Kurds of Syria’s Afrin set to return in 48 hours
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The first convoy of displaced Kurdish families from Afrin, northwestern Syria, is scheduled to return to their hometown on Monday as part of a coordinated plan between the Syrian transitional government and Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria, officials said on Sunday.
Mahmoud Khalil, a senior official in the Kurdish Asayish also known as Siyamend Afrin, announced the “practical start” of procedures for the return of displaced Afrin residents following a field visit to the city and meetings with a presidential delegation.
He said the first group, consisting of 400 families, will depart on Monday, March 9, gathering at Panorama Roundabout in Hasakah at 10:00 a.m.
“This step is a fundamental pillar for security and stability in Syria,” Khalil said, adding that the era of displacement must end with residents returning to their homes “with dignity and safety.”
Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Ziyad al-Ayesh, Syrian presidential envoy tasked with following up on the implementation of the January 29 agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), confirmed that a joint coordination meeting had been held with officials in Aleppo to discuss the return process.
Al-Ayesh said the presidential delegation would travel Sunday to Hasakah alongside the Afrin district director and Kurdish community figures to meet the governor of Hasakah and Afrin residents in preparation for their return.
He added that the Syrian government had completed the technical and logistical arrangements required to transport the families and ensure their safe return. The first groups will depart Monday under a plan supervised by the Syrian state, he said.
The envoy also noted that the director of Kobani would travel to the Shuyukh area in Aleppo eastern countryside to prepare for the return of displaced residents there.
“The Syrian state is committed to returning all displaced people from all components to their villages and homes in an organized and safe manner,” al-Ayesh said, adding that the process aims to strengthen stability and coexistence.
The planned return follows years of repeated displacement experienced by Kurdish residents of Afrin.
In March 2018, Turkish forces and allied Syrian factions captured Afrin during Operation Olive Branch, forcing tens of thousands of Kurdish civilians to flee toward the nearby Shahba Region and areas of northeast Syria.
Many displaced families settled in camps and temporary shelters in Shahba (Aleppo northern countryside), where they remained for years under difficult humanitarian conditions while demanding the right to return to their homes.
However, their displacement deepened again in December 2024, when escalating hostilities in northern Aleppo forced thousands of Afrin-origin families to flee Shahba once more toward areas administered by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria including Raqqa and Tabqa.
In January 2026, military tensions escalated between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), triggering another wave of displacement. Many Afrin-origin families were forced to relocate again to cities and towns in northeastern Syria, including Qamishli, Hasakah, and Derik (al-Malikiyah). Since then, numerous displaced families have been sheltering in schools, mosques, and government buildings as they await more stable living conditions.
The repeated relocations left many families living in temporary shelters for years, making the planned return to Afrin a potentially significant step toward ending nearly eight years of displacement for thousands of Kurdish residents.