Media report – website Yek.Dem
February 06, 2026
Since mid-January 2026, the Kurdish-majority Kobani (Ayn al-Arab) region has witnessed dramatic military transformations that have led to the control of Syrian government forces and groups loyal to them over part of its southern and southeastern countryside, following clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces, and the conclusion of a truce and agreement between the two parties that have not yet been fully implemented. This coincided with the continuation of the unjust siege imposed by government forces on the region, threatening the lives of civilians, in light of the depletion of food and medicine, the interruption of electricity, water and fuel, and in an extremely cold atmosphere, coinciding with the Turkish government’s refusal to bring in any humanitarian aid from its side across the border, despite international appeals and international contacts.
With these transformations, the people of the southern and southeastern countryside of Kobani were displaced from their villages and towns due to government forces‘ bombing and clashes. However, after the fighting subsided and some of them returned to their villages, they were surprised to find their property looted as a result of systematic operations that targeted the contents of homes, shops, vehicles and their basic sources of livelihood, with threats targeting members of families trying to return, despite the exitsence of announced understandings that were supposed to contribute to reducing tension and establishing stability.
Field reports and live testimonies have documented a comprehensive wave of encroachment on movable and immovable property, characterized by organized operations that go beyond the context of random thefts to take on a systematic character. Simultaneous targeting of Kurdish villages indicates a strategy aimed at stripping the local community of its productive and service assets, which may make these villages uninhabitable for a period that may be long, with huge losses in funds and forced impoverishment of the people.
According to the testimonies we received from our sources, most of whom refused to publish the photos or their real names for fear of punishment, and from open sources – some of which were photo testimonies published by their owners, including an appeal and plea for the Syrian government to intervene and help – the looting and plundering operations included everything from property and means of daily living and production; as the violation affected the agricultural and production sector through the looting of (wheat, barley and corn..), the theft of tractors and agricultural equipment, and the confiscation of livestock and domestic chickens And completely looting the contents of the shops. This included systematic looting of furniture, household contents, household appliances, alternative energy systems (thousands of solar panels and their accessories, on which most residents relied for homes and irrigation), theft of public electricity transformers (transients), uprooting copper wires, electricity and internet cables, looting of available fuel, and the theft of private cars from their owners, depriving residents of the most basic necessities of life, heating, lighting, or pumping water under harsh climatic conditions.
What reinforces the organized nature of these violations is the shipment of looted items by truck to nearby cities and regions such as Raqqa, Ain Issa, and Tal Abyad. This places the government itself in a position of direct legal responsibility, alongside its forces present in the region, whose members sponsor and facilitate looting and plundering, in conjunction with tribal militants who are effectively its auxiliary forces.
Below is a lits of towns and villages that have been subjected to widespread or near-total looting in just a few days, which we have been able to document so far:
1.Jalabiya | 2. Kharab Ashak | 3. Kharab Ashak Tarkaa | 4. Kuptebe Foqani | 5. Kuptebe Tahtani | 6. Abu Sarrah | 7. Saluka | 8. Idaqi (Saba Jafar) | 9. Ham Topk | 10. Bishk | 11. Coolie kitty | 12. Kharab Sarong | 13. Sifriyeh | 14. Kojkmit | 15. Demorgake Sharqy | 16. Mazghana | 17. Dwmoegakw Gharbi| 18. Hajki | 19. Kharabi Kugik | 20. Kirk Kitkan | 21. Blick | 22. Munif | 23. Hamdoun Gharbi | 24. Bir Nasser | 25. Bardagh | 26. Tuzlja | 27. Tuqli | 28. Drflit | 29. Berk | 30. Minak | 31. Bergo | 32. Mile | 33. Gil | 34. Aber | 35. Shrabaniyeh | 36. Hamak | 37. Bir Grodd | 38. Beer core | 39. Gortank | 40. Pir Afdo | 41. Kun Aftar | 42. Gikhur Gharbi | 43. Gikhur Sharqy| 44. Derb Taht | 45. Kantara | 46. Mercer | 47. Khan Mamd | 48. Khuwaidan | 49. Nolk | 50. Guigan | 51. Gulan Sharqy | 52. Gulan Gharbi | 53. Hamdoun Sharqi | 54. Kabr Rebn | 55. Znar Qul | 56. Duffy | 57. Nur Ali | 58. Kharab Barkir | 59. Shahid Qati | 60. Krat Kurd | 61. Eido village | 62. Asdiya | 63. Omerk | 64. Mile | 65. Og Qardash | 66. Baogah | 67. Shaiqmar | 68. Khank Afdo | 69. Qolnek | 70. Beirkhat.
These violations constitute a grave breach of international humanitarian law, which prohibits looting, plundering, and targeting of civilian property. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court also considers these acts to be full-fledged war crimes. The full legal responsibility for protecting civilians and providing redress lies with the Syrian government and its forces in effective control on the ground.
The reality of the situation calls for:
– Immediately lift the unjust siege imposed on the region by the Syrian authorities, and provide urgent and intensive humanitarian and relief aid, given the deteriorating humanitarian situation. It also highlights the need for the Turkish side to cooperate across the border, and to allow civil and humanitarian associations in Turkey to bring in humanitarian aid through the Murshid Pinar crossing.
– Immediately stop all looting and withdraw armed groups from the region’s countryside.
– Ensuring the safe return of all displaced populations, and providing legal protection against malicious security prosecutions.
– Forming a reliable investigation committee to enter the field and inspect and document the damage.
– Urgent compensation for those affected, to ensure the continuation of life in the area.
————-
You can download the full file by clicking here: