afrinpost-exclusive
On the evening of Wednesday, October 9, a patrol from the “Faylaq Al-Majd” militia violently raided the home of 35-year-old Kawa Ali Mamo in the village of Kela, Bulbul sub-district. The militia members assaulted Kawa and used force against his elderly mother, who tried to protect her son and prevent his abduction, our correspondent reported.
Kawa was kidnapped as part of an effort to pressure him into dropping his demand for the return of his stolen pickup truck. The vehicle had been taken by a militia leader known as “Abu Walid,” who is responsible for the nearby village of Zerka. Abu Walid stole the vehicle during the 2018 invasion of Afrin and sold it to an acquaintance in Idlib after Kawa refused to pay $8,000 to recover it.
Recently, Kawa was able to locate his stolen vehicle and intended to file a complaint with Turkish authorities to retrieve it. Abu Walid, originally from Idlib, leads the security headquarters of “Faylaq Al-Majd” in Zerka and has a history of abuses in the area. His actions include the seizure of around 6,000 olive trees and the imposition of extortionate fees on the villagers’ fields.
Kawa was released the same night but was forced to sign an agreement promising to cease any further efforts to reclaim his stolen vehicle.
