Kurd Online
On February 9, a Kurdish woman named “Khairiya Musa” (42 years old), a resident of the village of Badina in the Raju district of Afrin countryside in northern Syria, was kidnapped. She is the wife of citizen “Ahmed Beram Alo” from the “Fatah Dala” family. She was abducted by unknown individuals while shopping in Afrin city after purchasing a quantity of gold estimated at eight bracelets. She was pursued by the kidnappers before being taken, and her fate remains unknown since then.
The Human Rights Organization in Afrin-Syria reported the incident but provided no additional information about her whereabouts or the identity of the kidnappers.
—
Assault on a Kurdish Elderly Man and Theft of His Household Contents by Armed Thieves in Occupied Afrin Countryside… Logging Operations Continue by Settlers Supported by Factions
In a related context, armed thieves severely beat the Kurdish elderly man “Hanif Ahmed Abdo” (65 years old), a resident of the village of Aindara (Endarê) in Afrin countryside, and stole the contents of his home on the night of Wednesday, February 12, according to the organization.
The armed thieves broke into the house at night, brutally assaulted the elderly man, causing injuries to his face and hands. They also stole $300 and 1,600 Turkish liras, which were the elderly man’s savings, and vandalized the furniture, spreading chaos and panic inside the house.
In a related incident, the Sultan Suleiman Shah faction (Al-Amshat) imposed a $500 levy on the Kurdish elderly man “Murad Alloush,” nicknamed “Muradi Maamla,” in the Shkaka neighborhood of Sheh/Sheikh Hadid town in Afrin countryside on Thursday, February 13. The amount was forcibly taken from him.
Residents of Afrin city and its countryside face daily incidents of theft, robbery, and looting. These cases have increased in the absence of justice and accountability, as thieves and criminals operate freely under the watch of the Turkish occupation authorities and Turkish-backed factions without any deterrence or accountability.
This incident comes amid a rise in theft and assault crimes targeting homes inhabited by elderly people living alone, especially in villages, in the absence of effective security measures to stop these attacks, which endanger the safety of residents.
In another context, more than 20 trucks loaded with firewood were seen, some cutting forest trees (pine and oak) in Mount Qazqli, under the watch of the military police in Jindires city.
—
Arrest of a Kurdish Citizen by Military Police and Release of Two Others… Violations and Practices by Turkish-Backed Syrian Factions in Occupied Afrin Countryside
On February 1, elements of the military police arrested the Kurdish citizen “Mohammed Hassan Jafar” (32 years old), a resident of the village of Kawanda (Maidaniat villages) in Raju district. It is worth noting that “Mohammed” suffers from a difficult health condition due to a severe injury he sustained 11 years ago during his mandatory service in the Syrian regime’s army. His fate remains unknown, according to the Afrin-Syria Human Rights Organization.
In a related context, the Kurdish citizen “Hanan Ali Madour” (59 years old), a resident of Kawanda village (Maidaniat villages) in Raju district, was released on February 7 after being detained for over two months by the military police while returning from Shahba areas to his hometown.
Additionally, the Kurdish youth “Mohammed Khalil Hashim,” a resident of Sheh district, who was arrested in Tel Rifaat on December 3, 2024, was released.
In the context of theft incidents, a group of thieves from the settlers stole eight heads of livestock (sheep) belonging to the Kurdish citizen “Mohammed Aziz Jafo,” a resident of Kurzila Juma village in Shirawa district, on the night of Monday, February 10, at 2:00 AM. Three days earlier, the car battery of citizen “Zaki Qadi” from the same village was stolen.
Regarding violations by leaders of factions previously part of the “National Army” and now integrated into the new Syrian army structure in Afrin countryside, the “Al-Mu’tasim Brigade,” based in Za’ra village in Bulbul district under the leadership of “Bilal Abu Rabee” and his deputy “Yasser,” continues to impose levies and taxes on every Kurdish citizen returning to their village of Kurzila Jeh in Bulbul district from Shahba or Aleppo, in exchange for handing over their homes.
Additionally, “Abu Ahmed Al-Mara’i,” the economic official of the Al-Mu’tasim Brigade in Za’ra village, seizes the agricultural lands and olive groves of Kurdish civilians in the village without accountability, a practice ongoing since the beginning of the occupation in 2018.
In Joubana village in Jindires district, the Kurdish citizen “Salah Na’so Hamo” was assaulted by a settler after protesting the settlers cutting down his trees in front of him. He was beaten on the head with a part of a Kalashnikov rifle.
The checkpoints of the Al-Amshat faction in the “Dva Yol” area between Jindires and Sheh cities continue their arbitrary practices of theft and humiliation against the residents of Sheikh Hadid (Sheh) district.
—
Ongoing Abductions, Arbitrary Arrests, and Seizure of Kurdish Citizens’ Properties by Factions Previously Part of the “National Army” and Now Integrated into the New Army Structure in Afrin Countryside
The fate of the Kurdish youth “Abdulmajid Adnan Kul Dah Do” and his mother “Lama’an Majid” (21 years old), residents of Jala village in Raju district in Afrin countryside, remains unknown. They were forcibly abducted by factions known as the “Joint Force” (Al-Amshat – Al-Hamzat), supported by Turkey under the “Fajr Al-Hurriya” operations room, after they took control of the town of Al-Ahdath in Shahba countryside on December 2, 2024. Their whereabouts remain unknown, according to the Afrin-Syria Human Rights Organization.
On December 4, 2024, the “Military Police” arrested the citizen “Rudin Arif Hassou” (34 years old), a resident of Hasandara village in Bulbul district, from a relative’s house in Afrin city after returning from displacement in Aleppo. He was arrested on the pretext of being a civilian employee of the previous Autonomous Administration and was detained in the central prison of Maarat with a fine imposed on him until his release on February 6. The house owner was also detained for three days.
The violations and practices of the “Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade” (Al-Amshat), led by “Mohammed Al-Jassem,” nicknamed “Abu Amsha,” according to the website of the Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria, continue against Kurdish civilians in villages under their control. “Mohammed Al-Jassem” was granted the rank of “Brigadier General” and appointed “Commander of the 25th Brigade” in the new Ministry of Defense. Among the most prominent violations:
– Refusing to hand over homes and properties of Kurdish families returning to their homes without imposing large financial levies. In Maabatli town, about 20 returning families are prevented from reclaiming their homes despite being vacated by settlers, as the brigade demands a levy ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 per house.
– Preventing families of its fighters and settlers residing in Sheh/Sheikh Hadid district and some villages in Jindires district from leaving the area and returning to their original regions. This has weakened the movement of Kurds returning to these villages due to ongoing violations.
Regarding the levies imposed by the “Al-Hamzat Brigade,” audio clips circulated on social media on February 3, 2025, in which the economic office official of the brigade spoke to village mukhtars via WhatsApp, demanding that “contract owners – agents of absent citizens managing their properties” pay the imposed levies by the end of the week, as well as returning citizens to reclaim their lands and pay levies, under the threat of confiscating their properties and handing them over to others. This is in the context of factions rushing to collect as much levy and loot as possible before leaving the area, according to statements from the Damascus government.
Additionally, “Hassan Al-Fateem,” the leader of the “Al-Mu’tasim Brigade,” prevents the handover of homes to returning Kurdish families (about 50 families) without paying a financial levy per house. He also prevents families of his group’s fighters from returning to their original village in Jabal Al-Zawiya in Idlib governorate, despite minimal damage, to prolong their stay and collect levies and other financial revenues. If the levy is not paid, the occupant of the house dismantles doors and windows and even vandalizes the house before leaving.
—
In the Context of Tree Cutting:
– Over the past month, about 100 olive trees were cut down to varying degrees, some from the trunks, belonging to residents of the neighboring villages of “Mamala” and “Maska” in Raju district, controlled by the “9th Brigade.” Among the cut trees:
– 5 trees belonging to “Rifaat Ismail Mustafa.”
– Over 15 trees belonging to “Subhi Akash Bilal.”
– Over 35 trees belonging to “Zuleikha Akash Bilal.”
– 22 trees belonging to “Luqman Ismail Ahmed.”
– 10 trees belonging to “Kamal Jafar Nabu.”
– 10 trees belonging to “Arif Jafar Saleh Haidariya.”
These trees were cut down by settlers residing in the two villages, including “Mahmoud Ali Al-Ahmad,” originally from Hama countryside.
Most families of fighters and settlers residing in “Abboudan” village in Bulbul district continue to occupy the homes of its residents, as the “Elite Army” faction prevents the handover of homes to their owners despite some returning a year and a half ago.
“Hassam” and “Abu Radwan,” leaders of the “Malikshah Brigade” controlling “Ayn Al-Hajar Al-Gharbi” village in Maabatli district, kidnap village men and impose financial ransoms for their release.
—
Breaking into the Home of a Kurdish Elderly Woman by Elements of the “Joint Force” (Al-Amshat) Supported by Turkey, Shooting and Injuring Her
Elements of the so-called “Joint Force” (Al-Amshat) broke into the home of the Kurdish citizen “Amina Mustafa Hajou” (50 years old) in Manbij city on the morning of Saturday, February 8.
Elements of the “Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade” (Al-Amshat) broke into the home of “Amina” in the city with the intent of theft and looting its contents. When “Amina” opposed their entry, citing that only she and her daughters were present, the elements fired live bullets at her legs and hands, causing severe injuries.
The elements also prevented her neighbors from assisting her and transporting her to the hospital under the threat of weapons.
—
Fate of an Afrin Citizen Detained by Military Police Remains Unknown Despite Over Two Months of Detention
After the forced return of displaced Kurds to their homes in early December 2024, following the control of factions known as the “Joint Force” (Al-Amshat – Al-Hamzat) over Shahba region and some villages in Shirawa in Afrin countryside, many of them, especially youth, faced violations, harassment, arrests, and financial extortion. The fate of over 300 citizens, including women, remains unknown, according to the Afrin-Syria Human Rights Organization.
In Tel Rifaat city in Shahba region, which hosted over 20,000 displaced Kurds after the occupation of Afrin on March 18, 2018, the city was shelled with heavy weapons and drones by Turkish occupation forces and Turkish-backed Syrian factions. The shelling resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries, mostly women and children. Despite this, the displaced remained in the city until early December 2024.
After the “Joint Force” (Al-Hamzat – Al-Amshat) took control of the city, they forced the convoy of displaced people to head to Afrin instead of northern and eastern Syria. During these events, the citizen “Shiyar Ahmed Hambasho” (45 years old), a resident of Maabatli town in Afrin countryside, accompanied by his sister’s family, headed to their hometown. However, while passing through a military police checkpoint in Kafr Jana on the Aleppo-Afrin road, “Shiyar” was stopped under the pretext of a “security check,” detained without knowing the charges against him, and taken to an unknown location.
Despite over two months of detention by the military police, he remains arbitrarily detained with an unknown fate, despite his family’s efforts to locate him.
It is worth noting that “Shiyar” is married and a father of four children. He lost his wife “Jameela Waqqas” (37 years old) and daughter “Malak” (5 years old) during the shelling of Tel Rifaat city on October 25, 2024.
اختطاف امرأة كردية في ريف عفرين والاعتداء على مسن بالضرب المبرح
Leave a Reply