afrinpost-exclusive
Sources have reported numerous cases of abductions in the Shahba region and several villages in Sherawa, northern Aleppo, following the entry of Turkish-backed militias. Families have reportedly been barred from movement or fleeing, particularly in areas like Tel Rifaat and the Return Camp near the village of Al-Ziyara in southeastern Afrin.
According to a source who reviewed video footage, Kurdish women were subjected to beatings, insults, and severe abuse. One video described as “horrific” is said to bear a disturbing resemblance to the atrocities committed by ISIS during the invasion of Sinjar in Iraqi Kurdistan. The source stated, “The scenes are too graphic to be shared publicly, but they will be handed over to human rights organizations for documentation and action.”
In one clip, over 80 women were seen confined in a large warehouse while being subjected to verbal abuse. A displaced Afrin resident now in Amuda, Hasakah, corroborated the reports, recounting a conversation with a fellow villager who confirmed that returning families were separated by gender, with women held in isolation from the men.
One particularly harrowing incident involved a three-year-old child being forcibly taken from her mother’s arms and detained.
The fate of those abducted in Shahba, including the women seen in the footage, remains unknown. Human rights organizations are reportedly working to document these violations and crimes for submission to international bodies.
Our reporter interviewed several displaced residents who fled to Tabqa. Many recounted being subjected to humiliation and abuse. Ahmad Alo, a former resident of Kafr Naya, shared a phone call he had with an acquaintance in Al-Ziyara. The acquaintance revealed that villagers had suffered severe abuses, including the arrest of young men, mistreatment of women, and the abduction of several individuals. Alo suspects that some women may have been subjected to sexual violence.
During the same call, Alo’s contact described hearing gunfire from the nearby Return Camp, located just a few meters from Al-Ziyara. The cries of women were reportedly audible shortly after the militias entered the camp. It is feared that many of the approximately 5,000 displaced Afrin residents living in the camp have been abducted, with their whereabouts still unknown.
