Turkish-backed faction arrests civilian in Syria’s Afrin
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Members of the Turkish-backed Syrian armed opposition faction arrested yesterday a young man in the Turkish-controlled region of Afrin, northern Syria.
Militants of Ahrar Sharqiya factions arrested Ismat Ahmad Abdo, 25, from Bahdina village in Afrin countryside under the pretext of dealing with the Autonomous Administration, an exclusive source told North Press.
Abdo was taken to the faction’s headquarters in Rajo district, northern countryside of Afrin, and the faction demanded a million Syrian pounds (about $300) as a ransom for his release, the source added.
On January 6, the Violation Documentation Center in Northern Syria (VDC-NSY) documented the arrest of six persons in Afrin countryside by Turkish-backed factions since the beginning of January 2022.
The annual report by the VDC-NSY in 2021 said since Turkey invaded North Syria, 8,197 arrests have taken place; 5,430 of them were released but the others remained unaccounted for.
The city of Afrin and its villages, north of Aleppo, have been controlled by Turkish forces and the affiliated factions since March 2018.
Since 2018, the region has been witnessing ongoing security chaos accompanied by infighting among militants of the Turkish-backed factions, arrests, and kidnappings amid the factions’ disability to settle the security and spread safety.