SDF Commander-in-Chief Affirms Efforts to Protect Returning Civilians and Hold Those Involved in the Attack Accountable
As a convoy of displaced people from Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ain returning to the city was subjected to attacks, gunfire, and arrests today, August 10, 2026, Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, condemned the attack, calling for restraint and the preservation of civil and security institutions, and affirming efforts to ensure the protection of returning displaced civilians and hold those involved accountable.
Mazloum Abdi said in a post on X:
“We condemn the attack that the displaced Kurdish families were subjected to while returning to Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), which took place in coordination with the Syrian state.
We understand the angry reactions in the Kurdish street to this attack. At the same time, we call on our people to exercise restraint, not to be drawn into any irresponsible actions, and to preserve our civil and security institutions.
We affirm that we are working in coordination with the relevant authorities to ensure the protection of returning displaced civilians and hold accountable anyone proven to have been involved in the attacks, in a manner that guarantees everyone’s rights and preserves the security and stability of the region.”
The convoy of displaced people from Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ain returning to the city, located in Western Kurdistan, “Rojava,” was targeted today, August 10, 2026, by gunmen loyal to Turkey who reside in the city, coinciding with arrests of a number of displaced people and gunfire targeting vehicles, amid reports of injuries among Kurdish citizens.
Local sources reported that gunmen arrested a number of displaced people from Sere Kaniye who returned today as part of the first convoy, while others opened fire on vehicles with the aim of intimidating Kurdish families returning to the city.
Video footage from the city of Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ain showed gunmen attacking the vehicles of displaced Kurds and smashing them.
These developments coincided with the departure of the first convoy of displaced people from Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ain from the town of Tawineh, affiliated with the city of Hasakah, toward the city and its countryside, following years of forced displacement and the humanitarian, social, and economic suffering that accompanied it.
The first group includes around 400 families from Sere Kaniye and its countryside, while the convoy was initially scheduled to include 647 families. However, some logistical challenges prevented all the families from participating.
The Sere Kaniye / Ras al-Ain Displaced Persons Committee said in a statement that the first convoy “is heading toward the city and its countryside,” considering that this step comes after years of forced displacement and following continuous efforts undertaken by the committee with the relevant authorities.
ندين الاعتداء الذي تعرضت له العائلات الكردية المهجّرة أثناء عودتها إلى سري كانيه ( رأس العين) ، والتي تمت بالتنسيق مع الدولة السورية. نتفهم ردود الفعل الغاضبة في الشارع الكردي إزاء هذا الاعتداء، وفي الوقت نفسه ندعو أهلنا إلى ضبط النفس، و عدم الانجرار وراء أي أعمال غير مسؤولة، و…
