IDPs from Afrin, Shahba urge withdrawal of mercenaries  for safe return

Discussions of a safe return are ongoing, particularly among residents in Tabqa, who insist that the process must be accompanied by the creation of a secure environment through the removal of mercenaries, restitution of property, and provision of security guarantees under international supervision, enabling residents to manage their own affairs.

Displaced resident Asaad Omar stated that the return to Afrin and Shahba must be safe and called for preparatory measures, including stopping kidnappings and violations against residents, returning land and property to their rightful owners, and avoiding bureaucratic delays or document-related excuses. He added: “Residents left their homes under fire and left all their papers there. Everyone in the region knows this land and this is my home—what more proof do they need?”

He emphasized the need to remove mercenaries, who engage only in kidnapping, looting, and killings, noting that many residents remain imprisoned by mercenaries in areas such as Al-Rai and Hawar Kilis, and called for their release.

Displaced resident Rozaline Koshan said discussions about returning to Afrin are ongoing and stressed: “A safe return must include international guarantees that protect our human rights and security. Under the current conditions, return is impossible as long as mercenaries remain, continuing kidnappings, killings, and property seizures.” She added that security would only be ensured if the people were allowed to govern themselves through their own local representatives in all military, security, and administrative fields.

Similarly, displaced resident Suleiman Rashou said that return is impossible without providing security, removing mercenaries, and building institutions that enforce stability. He called for accountability for crimes and violations to prevent their recurrence.

He added: “Mercenaries continue to impose fees on residents and prevent the return of property to its owners under the pretext of lacking documentation—even when residents have proof, as everyone knows each other and their properties in the region. Some must even share their property during agricultural seasons.”

Citizen Jamal Al-Hassani stated: “What is needed today in Afrin is the removal of mercenaries who occupied people’s homes and lands.” He called on those with a conscience to help remove these mercenaries so residents can return safely, noting: “They were oppressed and scattered throughout Syria.”

Al-Hassani concluded: “What crime have we, the tent residents, committed to face all this injustice? We want a safe environment to return, through the removal of mercenaries and the release of detainees who have been imprisoned for years without guilt.”

a.k

ANHA