Young man abducted, assaulted in Afrin amid disputes over seized homes

A resident of the village of Qibar in the Afrin countryside was assaulted and abducted for several hours in an incident that locals linked to an ongoing dispute over the continued seizure of homes belonging to local residents, amid calls for authorities to intervene and put an end to the violations.

20 June, 2026 09:52

NEWSDESK

Local sources reported that four settlers from the “Nahla” family, originally from Idlib province, are still occupying four houses belonging to residents of the village of Qibar (Qîbar) in the Afrin countryside, despite repeated complaints and demands to vacate them and return them to their owners.

According to the sources, three brothers refuse to completely leave the houses they occupy, while the fourth allegedly demanded a payment of $3,000 USD in exchange for vacating the house where he lives.

The sources indicated that the requested amount increased from $650 to $3,000 after an official complaint was filed against him and a notice was issued demanding that he leave the property.

Residents of the village told ANHA agency that details of the case had circulated widely on social media in recent days. Then, on Friday, June 19, 2026, the village witnessed the kidnapping and beating of a young local man, allegedly carried out by members of the same family, before he was later released, despite having no connection to publishing information about the case.

Sources also stated that one member of the family works within the General Security apparatus under the Ministry of Interior of the Interim Government.

The incident sparked widespread anger among residents of the village and the surrounding area, who called on the relevant authorities to urgently intervene, stop the assaults, evacuate the occupied homes, and hold those responsible accountable.

This comes at a time when residents of the region say that hundreds of homes, agricultural lands, and commercial shops in Afrin remain inaccessible to their original owners, despite repeated promises to address the issue and restore rights to their owners.

This is taking place in parallel with a visit by a team from the International Commission of Inquiry to Afrin, aimed at discussing the conditions of returning displaced people and ways to provide suitable conditions to strengthen stability within the community.

A-H

ANHA