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Seven Lean Years.. Questions About Damascus's Position on the Afrin Issue
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Observers fear that the new authorities' lack of a clear position on the Afrin issue represents continued coordination with Ankara at the expense of indigenous residents' rights
The Kurdish-majority region of Afrin in northwestern Syria continues to suffer under Turkish control after seven years, where the area witnesses systematic campaigns to erase its identity through forced displacement and property confiscation.
The "Bride of the North" has become a theater for various types of violations, from kidnapping and torture to enforcing Turkish language learning, alongside the destruction of its architectural landmarks and burning of olive orchards.
Sheikh Riyadh Darar, a leader in the Syrian Democratic Council, told the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the new authorities' position on the Afrin issue lacks clarity, pointing to continued coordination with Ankara.
Saleh Muslim, co-chair of the Democratic Union Party, confirmed that Afrin represents a "bleeding wound" requiring urgent treatment, pledging to return the displaced and achieve transitional justice. Meanwhile, analyst Hussein Omar emphasized that the Turkish occupation seeks to annex the region as part of an expansionist plan including other areas, ruling out a voluntary withdrawal of Turkish forces.
The displaced from Afrin await an agreement guaranteeing their return home and the restoration of their stolen rights within the framework of building a new Syria based on a decentralized system that protects diversity.
Turkish policies in Afrin reveal attempts to create a new demographic reality through settling pro-Ankara elements in flagrant violation of international law, while Turkish-backed factions continue their violations in the region, exploiting the new authorities' ambiguous position regarding the occupied territories file.
Levant-Agencies
