afrinpost-Exclusive
The Turkish-backed “Ahrar al-Sharqiya”, has issued a strict ultimatum through intermediaries, demanding that Peshmarg family evacuate Jindires town in the occupied Afrin region within 15 days. This ultimatum follows a series of aggressive acts against the “Peshmerga” Kurdish family, particularly their son, Nazmi. The militia’s tactics involve intimidation through assaults, property damage, and threats, with the aim to coerce the family into dropping legal claims relating to the killing of four members of the family on the eve of Newroz in 2023.
The “Ahrar al-Sharqiya” militia conducted two separate incidents, one before and one after the dawn prayer on August 20th, during which they forcibly entered the “Peshmerga” family homes, brandished weapons, and issued threats in a brutal manner. These incidents followed a visit by Abdul Hakim Bashar, the Deputy Head of the Syrian Coalition, to the “Peshmerga” family over five days in Jindires.
On the afternoon of August 26th, militia members stormed the home of Ashraf Othman in Jindires, assaulting Nazmi, a 16-year-old. They physically attacked him, tearing his clothes with knives. Nazmi fainted and was taken to hospital for treatment. This marked the second attack on him, resulting in physical injuries. On July 23, 2023, he was intercepted, beaten with weapon butts and sticks, and had tiles thrown at him before an attempt was made to run over his hand with a car. This resulted in fractures, wounds, and bruises.
The “Peshmerga” family calls on fellow Kurds in Afrin to stand with them against the brutality of the “Ahrar al-Sharqiya” militia. They also urge human rights organizations to highlight their plight to international human rights bodies in Syria, aiming to pressure the Turkish government, which bears responsibility for its mercenaries’ actions.
A family member expressed their distress on social media, lamenting the ongoing injustice they face. The family pleads for support and awareness, while the “Ahrar al-Sharqiya” militia’s leader, “Colonel Hussein Hamedi / Abu Ali Sharqiya,” is responsible for the massacre of Newroz in Jindires in 2023, in which four members of the “Peshmerga” family were killed.
The leader, “Abu Ali Sharqiya,” has taken refuge in the Jindires countryside, hosting ISIS members and leaders in villages like “Sindiyanke,” “Miske Tathati,” “Miske Fauqani,” and “Khalta.” Some of these individuals were killed in these areas, including “Maher Al-Aqal” and “Munhil Al-Aqal” on July 12, 2022, and “Abu al-Hussein al-Qurashi” on April 28-29, 2023, as reported by the Democratic Union Party in Syria.
