Return of displaced Syrian Kurds to hometown suspended after violence

In Hasakeh, Syria, the return of displaced Kurdish civilians to their hometown of Ras al-Ain was halted on Monday following an attack on a group of around 2,500 people who had set out to return home, according to Jawan Isso, a representative of displaced persons from Ras al-Ain. The Syrian government and Kurdish forces had agreed in January to merge Kurdish forces and civil institutions into the state, which included provisions for the return of displaced Kurds.

Mahmud Khalil Ali, deputy head of security forces in Hasakeh province, said several attackers were arrested, but return trips were temporarily suspended to ensure residents' safety, with resumption planned once stability was restored. Tens of thousands of Kurds were displaced when Turkey and allied Syrian fighters took control of an Arab-majority strip of territory along the Turkish border, including Ras al-Ain, during the Syrian civil war in 2019.

The attacks in Ras al-Ain triggered protests in Kurdish-majority Qamishli and Kobane, with Syrian state television reporting that people attacked government offices and tore down the Syrian flag in Kobane. Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi condemned the assault on returnees and called for restraint, urging people to avoid irresponsible acts and protecting civil and security institutions.

Human rights groups mentioned that residents' homes and belongings were seized or looted following the offensive, with around 100,000 people from Ras al-Ain applying to return.