Arabic to English Translation*
Seven years have passed since the Turkish occupation of Afrin- in the far northwest of Syria, on March 18, 2018, in coordination with militias affiliated with the so-called “Syrian National Army,” which was linked to the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated coalition. This occupation was legitimized through religious edicts issued by figures such as “Imam Al-Khatib,” extremist Muslim scholars, and the “Syrian Islamic Council – Istanbul,”……. yet the violations and various crimes are still continuous. Despite more than three months having passed since the fall of the Assad-Baathist regime and the entry of the General Security Agency of the Damascus government into the region, violations and crimes continue. Turkish occupation remains in place, and most militias still maintain their military headquarters, security offices, and economic institutions, in line with the decisions of the “Victory Conference” held on January 29, 2025, particularly as these militias have not been effectively dissolved.
In our previous report, “Afrin Under Occupation (281) – Exclusive – March 16, 2024“, we documented the names of /299/ civilian martyrs and victims from Afrin, including /64/ children and /50/ women, who lost their lives under occupation between March 18, 2018, and March 16, 2024. These deaths occurred under various circumstances, including torture, direct killing, executions, bombings, and landmine explosions. Others perished while attempting to cross into Turkey, or as a result of shelling on Afrin’s displaced persons in Shahba villages and Sheirawa towns – north of Aleppo, where landmines also caused casualties. Additional deaths resulted from clashes between Turkish forces and their affiliated militias on one side and Syrian government forces and their allies on the other, along the confrontation line in Mount Leelon.
Moreover, the toll excludes those who died due to psychological distress and harsh living conditions caused by the occupation and its consequences. It also does not account for victims of the February 6, 2023 earthquake, whose deaths were exacerbated by negligence and delayed rescue operations. The inadequate capabilities of civil defense teams and the reluctance of the occupying authorities to fulfill their responsibilities further aggravated the disaster.in addition to, the low capabilities of the civil defense. Turkey played no significant role in addressing the aftermath of the earthquake, which resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe in Afrin.
In the past twelve months alone, /37/ additional civilian martyrs and victims from Afrin have been documented, including two children and four women. They lost their lives due to direct killings, Turkish bombardment, shelling by former regime forces, death in detention, or the hardships of displacement in northern rural Aleppo. Others perished in clashes along the frontlines between Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Autonomous Administration in the Al-Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo, or due to landmine explosions.
They are:
- “Arifa Jimo Haidar /70/ years old” from the village of “Kbashin” – Mount Leelon, which was under the control of the Sham Legion militia, was killed on March 9, 2024, as a result of Syrian government and allied forces shelling her home.
- “Ali Abdul Rahman Mohammed /18/ years old” from the village of “Gamrouk”– Maabatli/Mobato, was killed on March 17, 2024, due to Turkish army and militia shelling near Tal Rifaat, in northern rural Aleppo, an area densely populated with forcibly displaced Afrin residents.
- “Rashid Abdo Hamo /41/ years old, ” a displaced person from Maabatli/Mobato, was killed on March 24, 2024, following Turkish army and Syrian militia shelling near Tal Rifaat in northern rural Aleppo.
- “Jangeen Othman Naasan /36/ years old” from the village of “Ruita” – Maabatli/Mobato, died in April 2024 inside Al-Rai Prison in the Al-Bab region due to torture and poor prison conditions. He had been detained since July 6, 2020, along with his wife, parents, two brothers, and one brother’s wife.
- “Jamal Ali son of Mohammed Kolin /27/ years old” from the village of “Dargireh” – Maabatli/Mobato, succumbed to injuries on June 21, 2024, after being attacked by a “Hamza Division” militia group west of “Juiqeh/Jweiq” on the night of June 19, 2024.
- “Qanbar Hussein Alou /55/ years old, ” a person with disabilities from the village of “Keila” – Bulbul, was found deceased on September 8, 2024, in an underground concrete water tank near the “Zeirka” village junction. He had been missing for 23 days, and the forensic doctor confirmed his death as a homicide.
- “Khaled Mohammed Mohammed – born in 2002, ” a displaced person from the village of “Beileh/Bialan” – Bulbul/Afrin, was killed on September 7, 2024, due to Turkish army and militia shelling of “Bironiyeh” village in northern rural Aleppo.
- “Mustafa Nouri Al-Nasser /24/ years old” from the Arnah family of the Amirat tribe, in the village of “Asteir, ” northwest of Afrin, was shot dead on September 25, 2024, in front of a car dealership shop in Afrin by an individual from western rural Aleppo.
- “Ibrahim Mohammed Kolin Sheikho /55/ years old” from the village of “Qasim” – Rajo.
- “Kurdistan Khalil Waqqas /33/ years old” from the town of “Kafr Safra” – Jenderes.
- Her daughter, “Malak Shiyar Hambasho /5/ years old” from Maabatli/Mobato.
- “Mohammed Waqfi Mohammed /47/ years old” from the village of “Chamo” – Sharra/Sharan.
The four individuals were martyred on Wednesday evening, October 23, 2024, as a result of shelling on Tal Rifaat in northern rural Aleppo, which was densely populated with forcibly displaced Afrin residents, by the Turkish army and its Syrian militias.
- “Mohammed Abdul Karim Sido /43/ years old” from Jenderes, passed away on Thursday, October 24, 2024, due to a heart attack caused by panic following the shelling of Tal Susin village and the nearby Sardam camp in northern rural Aleppo by the Turkish army and its Syrian militias.
- “Haitham Abdul Rahman Issa /42/ years old” from the village of “Oquibeh/Aqiba” – Sheirawa/Mount Leelon, which was under the control of the Syrian government, was killed on November 19, 2024, due to Turkish army and militia shelling of his village.
- “Akram Mahmoud Nab/(Abu Sufyan, /69/ years old” from the village of “Anqaleh” – Sheikh Al-Hadid/Shiyeh, died on November 12, 2024, after suffering a fatal heart attack due to extreme pressure exerted by the “Sultan Suleiman Shah Division militia, ” which forced him to pay an exorbitant levy on his olive harvest.
- “Hanan Mohammed Majono /36/ years old” from the village of “Birjikeh”– Jenderes.
- “Hanan Mohammed Mousho – born in 1962″ from the village of “Qurtqalaq” – Sharra/Sharan.
- “Abdul Rahman Sheikh Mous Jomaa /40/ years old” from the village of “Zara” – Bulbul.
- “Shaaban Ahmed Mahmoud /38/ years old” from the village of “Shingeileh” – Bulbul.
- “Yashar Ibrahim /25/ years old” from Afrin.
- “Ahmed Jamo Hisso /72/ years old” from the village of “Qeebareh” – Afrin.
- “Naza Khalil Alou /42/ years old” from the village of “Khalilka”– Bulbul.
The seven individuals listed above were killed on December 1, 2024, by live ammunition following an incursion by Turkey-aligned Syrian militias into the Shahba region and several villages in Sheirawa, northern rural Aleppo, which were home to forcibly displaced Afrin residents.
- “Abdo Abdul Manan Abdullah – born in 1960″ from the village of “Qatma” – Sharra/Sharan, was shot in the head on December 3, 2024, after an argument with militias that had seized the Defense Factories Workers’ Housing near Safira town in eastern rural Aleppo.
- “Mohammed Ahmed Khadro /50/ years old” from the village of “Qastal Khadriya” – Bulbul, was arrested at a Hamza Division militia checkpoint at the “Beileh”–Bulbul junction on December 4, 2024, while returning from the Shahba region. He was taken to Bulbul center, where he was interrogated and tortured. His body was handed over to his family the next morning at a hospital in Afrin.
- “Mamdouh Bakr Othman /60/ years old, ” a Yazidi from the village of “Qatma” – Sharra/Sharan, was shot and killed in Aleppo’s Midan district on the night of November 29–30, 2024, during a carjacking incident involving his public taxi.
- “Mohammed Mustafa Hamliko /24/ years old” from the village of “Mamlo” – Rajo, was killed on November 30, 2024, when the vehicle he was in with his parents was targeted along the frontline between “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ” and the “Autonomous Administration” in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo.
- “Jamal Hussein Morsal /45/ years old” from the village of Qurtqalaq – Sharra/Sharan.
- His son, “Hussein Jamal Morsal /24/ years old. “
Both were killed on November 30, 2025, when their car was targeted along the road between Shihan Roundabout and Ashrafieh Park, on the frontline between “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ” and the “Autonomous Administration” in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods in Aleppo.
- “Hiyam Youssef Rashid /50/ years old” from the village of “Draqliya” – Bulbul.
- “Anji Youssef Rashid /14/ years old” from “Draqliya”.
Both were killed when a passenger bus was targeted on December 2, 2024, in the frontlines between “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham” and the “Autonomous Administration” in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo, after fleeing with others from the Shahba region.
- “Abdul Rahman Khalil Murshid /59/ years old” from the village of “Miskeh Tahtani” – Jenderes, was shot in the head on December 1, 2024, in the town of Tel Qarah in the Shahba region, under mysterious circumstances while civilians were fleeing from the advancing militias.
- “Saeed Abdo Na’so /85/ years old” from the village of “Tirindeh, ” south of Afrin, died on December 2, 2024, due to a heart attack while fleeing from the Shahba region.
- “Nooh Mohammed Rasho /4/ months old” from the town of Bulbul, passed away on December 3, 2024, in a stadium in Raqqa due to cold, exhaustion, and hunger after enduring a forced displacement journey that lasted more than /30/ hours, from the Shahba region in northern Aleppo to Raqqa.
- “Nouri Hourik Haftaro /65/ years old” from the village of “Haftar” – Bulbul, died suddenly from a heart attack on the morning of December 3, 2024, in Tabqa city, due to distress and the harsh conditions of displacement from the Shahba region.
- “Abdul Hamid Rashid Mustafa/from the Aqil family /58/ years old” from the village of “Qurneh” – Bulbul, was deliberately shot and killed on the evening of Tuesday, January 7, 2025, after leaving the mosque, by masked gunmen riding a motorcycle.
- “Hammoud Omar Barakat /29/ years old” from the village of “Souganakeh” – Sheirawa, died on January 18, 2025, due to the explosion of a landmine planted in a water tank inside an abandoned house in the village. He had been forced by an armed member of the Joint Forces militia (Sultan Suleiman Shah Division, Hamzat Division) to dismantle the tank for the purpose of stealing it.
- “Hamid Ahmed Hassan /60/ years old” from the village of “Oquibeh” – Sheirawa, was killed on March 3, 2025, after stepping on a war remnant landmine that exploded while he was in his olive grove west of “Oquibeh, ” heading toward the village of ” “
The crimes committed against civilians, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, require condemnation and denunciation from all parties that claim commitment to human rights principles. There must be independent and impartial investigations, particularly by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, to identify the perpetrators and hold them accountable, ensuring both moral and financial compensation for the victims’ families. However, the Turkish occupation authorities and their extremist militias and mercenaries often register most violations and crimes as committed by “unknown perpetrators” or conduct superficial legal procedures, allowing criminals to evade justice. Moreover, victims’ families are frequently coerced into waiving their rights and engaging in reconciliation agreements. There is no safe or dignified environment for the forcibly displaced persons to return, and many obstacles prevent them from reclaiming their properties, despite the General Security Service of the current Damascus government having taken control of the city’s center.
The Ankara government bears full responsibility for the ongoing situation and the suffering of the region’s inhabitants, as it is the occupying power with effective military control. Instead of implementing the necessary legal, security, and practical measures to protect civilians, it provides cover, support, and encouragement to its army and affiliated militias, fueling hostility against the Kurds wherever they are. Consequently, it is committing serious violations of international humanitarian law, the United Nations Charter, and international treaties.
The people of Afrin call upon the international community and the government of President Ahmad Al-Shar’a to take an active role in ending these violations and crimes, assisting forcibly displaced persons in returning to their homes and reclaiming their properties safely, and encouraging those who have been resettled in Afrin to return to their original regions. Serious efforts must be made to end the Turkish occupation, dismantle the militias, and restore Afrin to Syrian sovereignty under the administration of its rightful residents, in accordance with the agreement signed between President Ahmad Al-Shar’a and Mazloum Abdi, the Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces.
18.03.2025
Media Office-Afrin
Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria (Yekiti)
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Attachments:
– A list of names and photographs of /37/ civilian victims (martyrs and murdered individuals) from the Afrin region under Turkish occupation (March 16, 2024 – March 18, 2025) – Tables.
– A link to the file documenting civilian victims (martyrs and murdered individuals) from Afrin between March 18, 2018 – March 16, 2024:
https://yek-dem.net/ku/?p=14737
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* Under the supervision of the European Organization of the Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria (Yekîtî).
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You can download the full file by clicking here:
