Arrests, Gunfire, and Intimidation Facing Returning Kurdish Families as First Convoy of ~400 Families Arrives in Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ayn
On August 10, 2026, a convoy of internally displaced persons (IDPs) returning to the city of Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ayn in Western Kurdistan (“Rojava”) was targeted by Turkey-backed gunmen residing in the city. The attack coincided with arrests of several returnees and gunfire directed at vehicles, amidst reports of casualties among Kurdish citizens.
Local sources reported that gunmen arrested a number of Sere Kaniye returnees who arrived today in the first convoy, while others opened fire on cars to intimidate the returning Kurdish families.
Video footage from Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ayn showed armed individuals attacking and smashing the vehicles of the Kurdish IDPs.
These developments coincided with the departure of the first convoy of Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ayn IDPs from the town of Tuwaynah, near Hasakah, heading toward the city and its countryside after years of forced displacement and the accompanying humanitarian, social, and economic suffering.
This first batch includes approximately 400 families from Sere Kaniye and its surrounding countryside. While the convoy was originally planned to include 647 families, logistical challenges prevented some from participating.
In an official statement, the Committee of Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ayn IDPs stated that the first convoy was “heading toward the city and its countryside,” considering this step the culmination of continuous efforts made by the committee with relevant parties following years of forced displacement.
The committee added that the launch of the first convoy “represents an important milestone in a long journey of struggle and efforts toward a voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return to homeland.” According to the statement, it embodies “our people’s adherence to their right to their land, homes, properties, and their right to live in safety and dignity.”
The committee emphasized that the issue of return “is not merely a geographical relocation,” but an “inherent, legally and humanly legitimate right.” It noted that this right is tied to establishing the security, administrative, service, and humanitarian conditions that ensure a stable return, safeguard the returnees’ rights, and protect their properties.
On this occasion, the Committee of Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ayn IDPs reaffirmed its continued commitment to facilitating the complete return of all IDPs through an organized and gradual mechanism, along with the necessity of providing the required security, legal, and administrative guarantees for a safe, dignified, and sustainable return.
It also stressed the importance of protecting property, housing, and land rights—ensuring they remain unviolated and their legal nature unchanged—in addition to providing essential services and basic infrastructure necessary for the returnees’ stability.
Furthermore, the committee reaffirmed its ongoing coordination with relevant authorities, as well as humanitarian and human rights organizations, to meet the returnees’ needs. It considered the return of the first batch as “the beginning of a comprehensive return process, not the end of the file,” promising to monitor the conditions of all displaced persons “until the last family returns to its home.”
The committee stated: “We, in the Committee of Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ayn IDPs, as we welcome the departure of the first convoy, salute the resilience of our people throughout the years of displacement. We affirm that returning to Sere Kaniye is not a dream, but a right, a resolve, and a course of action.”
It called upon all displaced compatriots to “exercise responsibility, cooperation, and adherence to approved organizational mechanisms” to ensure the success of the return phase and the achievement of its objectives.
The Committee of Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ayn IDPs concluded its statement by reiterating its commitment to continue working toward the return of all displaced persons to their homes.
Note: This text is translated from the original Arabic version… Read the Arabic version:Click here
