Return of displaced Syrian Kurds to hometown suspended after violence
The return of displaced Syrian Kurds to their northeastern hometown of Ras al-Ain was suspended on Monday after a first group of returnees was attacked, prompting protests in other Kurdish-majority parts of Syria. Hundreds of people had gone back to the town on Monday, months after a January agreement with the Syrian government on merging Kurdish forces and civil institutions into the state that…
On Monday, the first organized return of displaced Syrian Kurds to Ras Al Ain and surrounding villages in the northeastern border town marked the beginning of a seven-year journey for more than 400 families. However, the event was marred by reports of violence against their convoy. A committee representing displaced residents accused authorities in Damascus, security forces in Ras Al Ain, and the local administration of failing to maintain security and protect returning residents, as outlined in the US-brokered January 29 agreement between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The committee emphasized that the authorities were responsible for ensuring the safety of those returning and that the perpetrators must be swiftly apprehended.
The return process followed a meeting in Damascus last week between SDF leader Mazloum Abdi and Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara. The meeting aimed to discuss the integration of the Kurdish-led group into the state security forces, a crucial step for Syrian President Al Shara in establishing control over all of Syria after his rebel forces ousted the regime of former President Bashar Al Assad in December 2024.
The eight-year civil war concluded after nearly 14 years of conflict. The January agreement aimed to facilitate the safe and voluntary return of displaced people to their homes, creating conditions that would allow them to do so comfortably.
The committee hailed Monday's convoy as a "significant milestone in a long struggle for a voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return," signifying the residents' commitment to their right to their land, homes, and properties. The conflict began in 2019 when Turkey, along with allied Syrian fighters, seized Ras Al Ain and the surrounding territory from Kurdish forces during the civil war.
Turkey, the primary regional supporter of the current Syrian government, opposes the SDF, considering it a terrorist organization due to its ties with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The SDF once posed a significant challenge to the central government, but its role has diminished since the change of government in Damascus, as its partnership with the United States in the fight against ISIS waned.
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