The city of Afrin in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo has witnessed public discontent following the issuance of new appointment decisions affecting sensitive security and administrative positions, in a development that has raised concerns among the city’s residents.
The transitional government has appointed the individual named Ahmad Jamal Kabso as head of the “Special Task Units” in Afrin. He previously served as director of the Turkish-affiliated Military Police in the region.
This appointment comes at a time when the name “Kabso” is associated with a record of documented accusations by human rights activists, including involvement in arbitrary detention operations and organized financial extortion, in addition to accusations of seizing properties and homes belonging to the original Kurdish residents of Afrin since 2018.
In a related context, the transitional government also appointed a new district director for the city of Afrin, who hails from the city of al-Bab in the eastern countryside of Aleppo. Residents of the city considered this move a continuation of a policy of marginalizing local components and appointing figures from outside the region who are loyal to the “Syrian Transitional Government” and the Turkish side.
Placing individuals with a controversial security record at the head of the “Special Task Units,” which are known for their secretive and direct nature, may pave the way for a new wave of security restrictions, an increase in cases of enforced disappearance, and the transformation of security agencies into tools of economic and demographic control, far from any judicial oversight or legal accountability.
The city of Afrin has been living under ongoing violations affecting people, trees, and stones since Turkish forces and their allied factions took control, amid a complete absence of international conventions that protect the rights of civilians in areas under military control.
Source: Syrian Observatory
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