A year on from al-Sina’a disaster, residents have yet to receive compensation
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – His house is a mount of rubble. Daily, Ali is reminded of the battle that took place here last January when he passes by the remnants of his house. Back then, the Islamic State (ISIS) attempted to break thousands of its militants free from the nearby al-Sina’a prison in Hasakah city.
Ali Ibrahim al-Aboud, 40, who heads a 13-member family, was forced to rent a small house in the al-Zuhour neighborhood for 100.000 SYP ($15.5), as he is unable to rebuild his house.
Al-Aboud cannot afford even to remove the rubble from where his house once stood.
A year on
Al-Aboud recalls the day he was displaced, when ISIS inmates began escaping from the al-Sina’a prison – which until then contained about 5.000 battle-hardened ISIS militants.
“The day of the prison attack we packed up and fled because of the bombing and destruction. Ten days later, we came back to find that there were no houses anymore; they were turned to piles of rubbles,” he told North Press.
Al-Aboud, like many of his neighbors, lack the means to rebuild his house. “It is impossible for me to build a house.… My father had lived in this house for 50 years and it was destroyed in the blink of an eye.”
Al-Aboud stressed that “no one offered any compensation.”
No compensation
Al-Aboud appealed to the US-led Global Coalition to compensate those affected by their anti-ISIS operation. “I call on the Global Coalition that witnessed the destruction of our houses, and has never helped us [given us compensation] and say, what did we do wrong, why were our houses destroyed?”
He describes his situation as a “tragedy,” calling on all actors to consider the conditions of the residents whose homes were destroyed, as most of them are now homeless.
On January 20, 2022, up to 300 ISIS fighters attacked the nearby al-Sina’a prison in order to liberate the thousands of militants who were being held inside.
The prison attack sparked a 10-day battle between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and ISIS militants and caused widespread destruction of buildings and an exodus of the residents of the neighborhoods of al-Ghweiran, al-Zuhoor, al-Nashwa, and al-Villat al-Hamr.
On January 30, 2022, the SDF announced it had retaken the prison.
After the fighting had stopped, residents of the surrounding areas returned to their houses. But some houses were completely laid to waste, others were partially damaged.
Some residents renovated their homes, others built new ones; the poorest residents had to accept their fate.
Muhammad voices his dismay at the lack of support and aid provided. “No local authorities, charities or NGOs have given us any aid.”
Muhammad Alloush Muhammad, 72, and his three sons lost three adjacent houses in al-Ghweiran.
Muhammad was forced to borrow in order to repair some sections of one of the houses that could accommodate his family, while his three sons had to return to their village.
We need accommodation
Samira al-Abdullah, 40, who lived in eastern al-Ghweiran with her family of seven members, voiced her wish of having just a single room rebuilt on top of the ruins of her destroyed house.
Until now, she has been living in a rented single room close to her old home. “We appeal to the Global Coalition, social organizations and NGOs to compensate us, even partially. We have lost our homes.… One of the parties should compensate us for the destroyed house, even just a single room to shelter our children.”
Khabat Sulaiman, co-chair of the Hasakah Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), told North Press that the attack by ISIS on the al-Sina’a prison destroyed 120 houses – 62 completely and 58 partially – in the al-Zuhour and al-Ghweiran neighborhoods.
Shama’ Bashir Aziz, 37, who fled during the fight, said she was astounded when she returned home.
“When I returned following the fighting only the kitchen and a room remained.… We have borrowed money to repair the house,” she told North Press.