Crimes Against Kurds


Friday 1st March, 2024. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has identified serious abuses and potential war crimes committed by both the Turkish Armed Forces and their proxies in Syria in a new 74-page report, "Everything is by the Power of the Weapon: Abuses and Impunity in Turkish-Occupied Northern Syria," which also warns that Turkish officials appear directly involved in apparent war crimes.

Thursday 22nd February, 2024. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have announced the capture of 16 ISIS operatives and facilitators in the city of al-Hasakah, intensifying efforts to counter the resurgence of the group's activities in Syria. At the same time, a landmine blast attributed to ISIS in the Raqqa desert claimed 14 lives, underlining the continued threat posed by remnants of the group.

Monday 12th February, 2024. A Turkish drone targeted a rehabilitation centre for wounded fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Qamishli (Qamişlo) yesterday, causing serious injuries and killing two commanders of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ). An official at the North and East Syria's Federal Centre for the War-Wounded, which has been operating since 2020 and is dedicated to helping those injured in the fight against ISIS, confirmed the attack.

Friday 2nd February, 2024. A Turkish drone attack on Friday targeted an Asayish centre in Qamishli (Qamişlo), killing four members of the Internal Security Forces of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) and injuring another. The assault occurred amid an anti-Islamic State (ISIS) operation by the Asayish forces in Hawl (al-Hol) Camp with support from the US-led Global Coalition, aiming to neutralise ISIS threats within the camp.

Thursday 18th January, 2024. The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) released a report today detailing the aftermath of the Turkish military's offensive in northeast Syria from 13-16 January 2024. The report, prepared by the administration's Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC), outlines 224 attacks, including 103 airstrikes and 121 ground assaults, targeting a mix of over 92 sites. The military operations injured 12 civilians, including a woman and two children, and killed five Syrian Armed Forces soldiers. The offensive has had a far-reaching impact, with over 4.3 million people facing electricity outages, about 1.78 million enduring water shortages, 400 families displaced and around 161,000 affected in various economic sectors.

Thursday 11th January, 2024. The Islamic State (ISIS) targeted Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) military checkpoints in several towns in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor (Dêrezor), eastern Syria, in a series of coordinated attacks early today. Using rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns, gunmen attacked the headquarters of the SDF's Hawaij Regiment east of Deir ez-Zor. The attackers withdrew following fierce clashes. In a separate incident, gunmen attacked an SDF post in the Hawi al-Hissan area in the northern part of the city. The attackers were successfully repelled by SDF forces. In another attack, two SDF checkpoints in the town of Diban in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor were targeted.

Monday 25th December, 2023. Turkey has targeted 25 critical infrastructure sites in North and East Syria, leaving a trail of destruction and an alarming death toll. The affected regions, including Qamishli (Qamişlo), Amuda (Amûde), Kobani (Kobanê) and the Sherewa (Şerewa) district of Afrin (Efrîn), are grappling with the aftermath of relentless Turkish air strikes that show no signs of abating. A hospital was among the targets and the death toll has risen to eight, and it is feared that it will rise further as the attacks continue. The Turkish drone strike onslaught began on Saturday night.

Friday 15th December, 2023. The Biden administration is aware that Turkey is not pleased with the United States' partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) but the White House is not going to change their stance, according to former United States Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford. "Support for the YPG [the People's Defense Units, the primary component of the SDF] will continue. The Biden administration is determined to keep US forces in the east of Syria, and they need a local partner. The YPG has been that partner for the Americans for the past decade," Ford has stated. Ford's remarks came in an interview with Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.

Friday 1st December, 2023. The Turkish government has frozen the assets of 62 individuals and 20 organisations. The decision comes in the wake of increased military action and targets almost exclusively humanitarian organisations, raising concerns about the impact on civilian infrastructure and humanitarian initiatives. The relief organisation Medico International has reported that around 80% of civilian infrastructure in the Kurdish-led region of northern Syria, known as Rojava (West Kurdistan), has been damaged, leaving millions without reliable access to power and water. The Kurdistan Red Crescent Society (Heyva Sor a Kurdistanê) has been playing a pivotal role, delivering critical humanitarian aid to those in dire need amid the turmoil.

Thursday 16th November, 2023. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that one of their fighters was killed and two were injured in a Turkish drone attack on a vehicle in Syria's Kurdish-majority northern town Kobanê yesterday. The statement of the SDF says that the Turkish drone targeted "a car carrying fighters from our SDF forces while they were on leave, in the Bogaz village, south of Kobani". Since 5th October, Turkey has intensified its attacks destroying most of the civilian infrastructure and leaving almost 2 million people without electricity or drinking water and killing dozens of civilians.

Wednesday 1st November, 2023. AANES celebrates World Kobanê Day and urges international support amid Turkish aggression. In a call to action, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) urged the international community to continue to support the people of North and East Syria in their ongoing fight against ISIS. They emphasised the need to stand strong in the face of Turkish aggression and to expose Turkey's alleged support for extremist groups in the region.

Friday 20th October, 2023. Military bases of the United States and the Global Coalition against ISIS in both Syria and Iraq have been targeted in a series of recent drone attacks. A coalition of Iran-backed armed Shia groups claimed responsibility as the US is closely monitoring the actions of Iran-backed groups. One of the drone strikes targeted the Al-Tanf base near Syria’s borders with Iraq and Jordan, while a missile attack was directed at the Conoco base in the northern Deir ez-Zor region. The attacks came against a backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Sunday 15th October, 2023. Bedran Çiya Kurd, the co-chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), has called upon the United Nations to launch an investigation into the recent wave of attacks carried out by the Turkish government in North and East Syria. The statement outlined the alarming extent of the damage inflicted upon the region by the Turkish military, emphasising the catastrophic impact on civilian infrastructure and vital facilities. These attacks have resulted in dire consequences for millions of vulnerable civilians, including hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people who are currently residing in camps and makeshift shelters.

Thursday 5th October, 2023. The Turkish government unleashed a barrage of drone strikes on various targets across Rojava. Rojava Information Center (RIC) reports 20 Turkish air-strikes targeting refugee camps and civilian infrastructure. The ongoing strikes have resulted in nine deaths so far. Three of the victims were civilians, while the other six were members of the region's internal security forces guarding the civilian facilities.

Sunday 17th September, 2023. A Turkish drone targeted a car, killing two members of the Asayish (internal security forces). According to a statement by the Asayish, after the first drone strike, which hit one of their vehicles on the road between the towns of Amuda and Qamishli killing two of their number, the drone, which was controlled by Turkey, then targeted people in the vicinity who were trying to provide first aid, wounding a total of eight people.

Friday 1st September, 2023. Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions, known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), conducted an assault on the countryside of the Manbij (Minbic) region, resulting in the deaths of five children. Head of the SDF Media Centre, Farhad Shami, expressed his outrage over the incident via a tweet, saying that the SNA factions had "committed a horrific massacre against five children in the al-Muhsunly village." Shami reported that the massacre occurred after the SNA militants infiltrated the village earlier that day.

Saturday 19th August, 2023. Turkey stands as the primary instigator of the human rights abuses perpetrated against Kurdish residents of northern Syrian regions under control of the Turkish government and its allied armed factions, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said in a statement applauding the United States for its resolute actions against Turkish-backed armed groups. According to the SDF, Turkey has "transformed the occupied areas into a safe haven for terrorist and criminal organisations, including the Islamic State (ISIS)."

Friday 11th August, 2023. ISIS resurgence: Third major attack on Syrian forces in August. At least 23 Syrian soldiers were killed and 10 injured when their bus was targeted by the Islamic State (ISIS) in the desert region bordering the eastern city of Deir Ezzor yesterday. In a separate attack on Monday, 10 Syrian soldiers and pro-government fighters were killed in Raqqa. On 1 August, seven people, including five soldiers, were killed in another ISIS attack in a central desert area.

Thursday 3rd August, 2023. On the ninth anniversary of Yazidi genocide, The People's Protection Units (YPG) have reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to stand by the Yazidi people in a statement. The Kurdish militia warned that any further attack on them would be considered an attack on the YPG itself, promising to respond with full force in defence of their community. The YPG further urged the international community to recognise the Yazidi people's inherent right to live freely within their territories and govern their administration autonomously and called on all countries and international powers to take action against Turkey for its military offensives in Sinjar.

Friday 14th July, 2023. In the midst of a severe water shortage crisis in Hasakah (Hesekê) Governorate, northeast Syria, an official from the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) called for direct intervention from the United Nations (UN) to put an end to the escalating situation. The crisis began when Turkey cut off the water supply from the Alouk station, the sole water source for Hasakah and its surrounding areas, located in the city of Ras al-Ayn (Serêkaniyê). The impact of the water shortage has been profound, with around one million people in Hasakah, including internally displaced persons, facing a dire drinking water crisis. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also expressed concern over the crisis.

Tuesday 4th July, 2023. The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) emphasised that the trials of foreign Islamic State (ISIS) members in northern Syria, led by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), would not only bring justice but also help reveal the fate of over 130,000 missing individuals disappeared during the Syrian conflict. On 10th June, the AANES announced an intention to put foreign ISIS fighters detained in its prisons on trail, in compliance with international law. However, AANES Foreign Relations Department Co-chair Badran Chia Kurd disclosed that the administration had received no international support in holding the trials and therefore is preparing to set up the necessary courts and facilities independently.

Saturday 24th June, 2023. The recent surge of activities by the Islamic State (ISIS) has raised concerns as the extremist group carried out a series of seven attacks in Syria within a single week. Since early 2023, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), an information office based in the United Kingdom, has documented 85 operations carried out by ISIS within areas controlled by the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). These operations, encompassing armed assaults and explosive incidents, have resulted in 57 fatalities, according to the statistical data provided by SOHR.

Saturday 4th June, 2023. Turkey is reportedly constructing new housing settlements in the Afrin (Efrîn) region under its control in northern Syria. The project involves the construction of 50 four-storey buildings, with plans for an additional 200 homes nearby. These projects, coming after the Turkish incursion in 2018, which significantly altered the region's demographics, are forcing many Kurdish people to flee. The construction of the homes raises concerns about the long-term implications for Afrin and its original inhabitants, as it solidifies the demographic changes initiated by the Turkish offensive.

Friday 19th May, 2023. A newly released report by Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ), a Strasbourg-based watchdog organisation, provides fresh insights into the killing of four related Kurds in the Jindires (Cindirês) district of Afrin (Efrîn), northwestern Syria, on Newroz Day. On the evening of 20 March, three Jaysh al-Sharqiya militants opened fire on a Kurdish family in Jindires. The attack was carried out because the family had lit a small fire to celebrate the Kurdish New Year, Newroz. The gunfire resulted in the death of four family members and caused injuries to others. According to the STJ report, witness accounts indicate that the crime was a deliberate act carried out by a specific group within Jaysh al-Sharqiya.

Friday 5th May, 2023. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested an Islamic State (ISIS) militant in the town of al-Busayrah, near Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria in a security operation conducted with air support from the US-led Global Coalition to defeat ISIS, according to a statement released by the SDF Media Center on Wednesday. The SDF arrested the militant after besieging the place where he was hiding and seized technical equipment and documents that proved his involvement in terrorist activities.

Tuesday 25th April, 2023. Three children died and two others were injured under fire from Turkish howitzers in Til Temir in the northeastern Syrian province of Hasakah yesterday evening. The five children were aged between four and 14. The Turkish attack claimed the lives of 10-year-old Meryem Xidir Iwês, four-year-old Itîdal Iwês and eight-year-old Ebdil Ezîz Iwês.

Friday 7th April, 2023. Mazloum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), survived an attack on Sulaymaniyah airport in Bashur, Iraq. Abdi confirmed that some US troops and members of the counter-terrorism Group (CTG) of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), which has its headquarters in Sulaymaniyah, were with him at the time of the attack. Abdi said that the attack was a clear message from Turkey, which is annoyed by the strengthening of the SDF's position in international relations.

Sunday 26th March, 2023. The Syrian Democratic Forces warned that the Islamic State aims to regain control over certain territories and that the regions under the control of Turkish forces and their allied Syrian rebel groups have become safe havens for ISIS cells in a statement released on the fourth anniversary of ISIS's territorial and military defeat. ISIS aims to rebuild its crumbling organisation, regain control over certain territories and threaten the local population, said the SDF press centre and called for greater cooperation from global forces against ISIS. The SDF also urged the international community to play an active role in pressuring countries that enable ISIS to reorganise and spread, pointing to Turkey.

Tuesday 7th March, 2023. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that Syria's ageing and war-damaged water system is at risk of collapse following an earthquake that struck the area one month ago. The quake, which killed over 8,000 people in the country, caused direct damage to the water infrastructure and destroyed many rooftop water tanks, adding more strain on a system already impaired after 12 years of conflict. The ICRC said that the situation could have devastating public health consequences as a knock-on effect from the earthquake. It has called for urgent action to prevent a collapse and avoid further humanitarian crises.

Saturday 25th February, 2023. Turkish forces have continued to attack North and East Syria and have been preventing the passage of earthquake aid since the devastating twin earthquakes on 6th February. Although the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stopped operations after the earthquakes, Farhad Shami, spokesman of the SDF said that the Turkish aggression against Kurds still continues. Shami argued that Turkey took advantage of the SDF’s decision to stop its military operations, noting that Turkish forces launched 18 ground attacks and two air strikes on the region within 18 days.

Monday 6th February, 2023. Death toll rises after earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale hits Turkey and Syria. The epicentre of the tremor, which had a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, was in the Pazarcık district of Turkey’s southern Kahramanmaraş province, according to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

Wednesday 18th January, 2023. US envoys Brett McGurk and Nicholas Grainger have visited Kurdish politicians in Erbil (Hewlêr) and representatives of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in Hasakah.

Wednesday 4th January, 2023. Turkey's drone attacks against North and East Syria continue unabated, with the latest attack claiming three lives, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The most recent of Turkey's drone attacks in the region has killed three members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF are instrumental in the fight against ISIS, acting as the main local partners in the US-led Global Coalition. Two SDF fighters were killed on impact and a third SDF commander died hours later of injuries. The drone attack yesterday targeted a village outside al-Hasakah and was the second such attack within the space of a few hours.

Sunday 25th December, 2022. Turkey has been continuously working on plans for a ground operation into northern Syria, both on the ground and round the table, said the country's defence minister. “There is work going on both on the ground and round the table. This continues without interruption,” Hulusi Akar said when asked if Turkey was still planning to launch a ground operation into northern Syria during a meeting with representatives of the media in Ankara. Turkey started airstrikes on Kurdish targets in northern Syria on 20th November, accusing them of causing a deadly explosion that hit Istanbul earlier in the month.

Sunday 4th December, 2022. Four children were injured when a shell fired during Turkey's attacks on the region exploded in a town in Syria's northern province of Hasakah. North Press Agency reported that the shell had been launched by the Turkish Armed Forces and had fallen to ground without exploding a few days earlier. The children injured were aged between 11 and 15. Other civilians have been injured in Turkey's latest airstrikes besides these children, who are now under treatment in hospital. According to a report released by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday, Turkey bombed 83 villages and farms inhabited by civilians between 20th November and 2nd December.

Monday 21st November, 2022. Turkish air strikes launched in the early hours of Sunday on north and east Syria and northern Iraq continued into today. The Rojava Information Center documented that Turkey's attacks have killed more than two dozen people. After the first attack in a village in Derik in Qamishlo, locals went to the scene to help the wounded, but seven were killed in a second airstrike. Among these was ANHA journalist Isam Abdullah, who was reporting at the scene.

Friday 4th November, 2022. The members of the European Parliament's Kurdish Friendship Group paid a week-long visit to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), starting on 31st October, to see the conditions there and show solidarity with the Kurdish people. The co-chairs of the European Parliament's Kurdish Friendship Group, Francois Alfonsi and Andreas Schieder, acknowledged the Turkish invasion of some territories of the AANES and called out for international support.

Monday 31st October, 2022. Turkish-backed Syrian groups have pillaged olive groves in the district of Afrin, an area renowned for its olive crop, the Afrin Post reported. The various groups have imposed taxes, stolen part, or an entire crops of olives. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported in September that Turkish-backed Syrian groups had illegally removed nearly 300 olive trees owned by the residents.

Saturday 15th October, 2022. The US President Joe Biden's decision to extend the national emergency over the situation in and in relation to Syria contains baseless allegations and accusations against Turkey, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. According to a White House statement also on Thursday, Washington will maintain in force an executive order decreed on October 14th, 2014. The statement particularly mentions Washington's NATO ally's operations in northern Syria as the reason behind the decision to extend the national emergency.

Sunday 9th October, 2022. In a brief statement, the US Central Command said, "A 107mm rocket attack targeting Coalition Forces near the Rumalyn Landing Zone failed. The rocket did not impact inside the compound. No U.S. or partnered forces were killed or injured and neither facilities nor equipment were damaged." This came two days after a helicopter raid against an ISIS senior leader near Qamishli city, and another US airstrike in northern Syria that killed the ISIS deputy leader.

Wednesday 28th September, 2022. A Turkish drone strike on 27th September killed two co-chairs of a justice and reform office of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). The drone hit a car on the road near Girkê Legê, across the border from Turkey's Şırnak (Şirnêx) province. According to the RIC, the attack was the 81st drone strike in 2022. Zeyneb Mihemed and Yılmaz Şero were co-chairs in the AANES justice bureau for northern Syria's Cizire region. Today, Turkish forces and their Syrian affiliates targeted four villages in the countryside in Zirgan. Two 12-year-old children were killed and five other civilians injured.

Monday 5th September, 2022. Another girl injured in the 18th Aug Turkish drone attack on a UN-affiliated education centre for girls in Hasakah, has passed away from her injuries sustained as a result of the attack. Slava Ramadan is the fifth girl to have died as result of the attack, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) said in a statement on Monday. On 18th August a Turkish drone targeted a UN-affiliated educational centre in Hasakah, north east Syria, killing four girls while they played volleyball and injuring 11 others.

Friday 18th August, 2022. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in a statement condemned a Turkish drone attack in Syria that left four children dead and 11 others wounded. Turkish forces targeted a learning center which is sponsored by the United Nations in Shimoke village in Hasakah, the statement said.

Tuesday 16th August, 2022. Turkey intensified its attacks on the border areas, targeting Kobane and the countryside west of the city with heavy artillery and drone strikes. Five high explosive artillery shells hit the neighbourhood of Martyr Bayman in Kobane as intensive artillery shelling fired from Turkey battered villages in the western countryside of the city, at least one child was killed and two civilians were hospitalised with severe injuries.

Sunday 7th August, 2022. A Turkish drone attack in Qamishlo has killed four people, including two children, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Saturday. According to the SDF, the drone "The explosion caused serious material damage to nearby shops and cars," they said, adding that an investigation to identify the deceased was ongoing. This is the second such incident this week, with a Tall Tamr SDF Military Council member being killed by a Turkish drone strike in Tall Jumaa on Thursday.

Sunday 24th July, 2022. A conference was held on Sunday on the occasion of the anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, in the city of Lausanne in Switzerland. Representatives of 57 Kurdish political parties and associations as well as Kurdish intellectuals, artists, academics and political figures participated in the conference at Palais de Rumine, where the Treaty of Lausanne was signed in 1923. Following a visual presentation on the Treaty of Lausanne, Abdulkarim Omar, co-chair of the department of foreign relations of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), made the first address of the conference.

Saturday 23rd July, 2022. Three people were killed in a Turkish drone strike Friday in Hasakah province, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported. SOHR said that the victims, all women, were members of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ), part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The women were travelling by car on the road between Qamishli and Al-Malkiyah (Dêrik) when the drone targeted the vehicle. Passersby are also reported to have been injured by shrapnel. According to SOHR report, the recent drone strike is the latest in a series of 38 attacks carried out by Turkish forces since early 2022, they have left 27 people dead, including two children and nine women, and 74 injured.

Thursday 7th July, 2022. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) declared a state of emergency due to Turkey's continued threats. The declaration was issued following a session of the AANES General Council on Wednesday to confront any possible attack by Turkey on the region. Turkey uses heavy weapons and drones, targeting civilians, hospitals, water and power stations and civilian institutions, AANES said in the statement, and has declared its wishes to invade other parts of Syria as well. Among Ankara's goals is to change the region's demographic makeup, displacing locals, it continued. Such an intervention would trigger a security crisis and a new wave of migration, according to AANES.

Sunday 19th June, 2022. Armed jihadist groups in Syria, Ahrar Al-Sham and Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), have succeeded in imposing control over several areas in the district of Afrin in the countryside northwest of Aleppo, previously controlled by Turkish forces and their proxies, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported. The two jihadist groups took over the areas around Al-Basutah, Jindires and the villages of Al-Muhammadiyah, Al-Ghazawiyah, Qarzihil and Ain Dara, following clashes with Al-Jabha Al-Shamiyyah and Al-Sham Corps, proxies of Turkey. The village of Qarzihil reportedly witnessed the fiercest clashes. Seven deaths, of which three were civilians and four Turkish-backed fighters, and nine wounded, including children and elderly people, were reported by SOHR.

Friday 3rd June, 2022. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is concerned over the new Turkish threat. SDF commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi said in a tweet on Thursday. "Any offensive will divide Syrians, create a new humanitarian crisis, and displace original inhabitants and IDPs. New escalation will also negatively affect our campaign against ISIS," Abdi said. Syrian Kurdish sources reported more Jihadist mercenaries being deployed in Kurdish areas occupied by Turkey and Turkish-backed militias after Turkish President Erdoğan's statement. Erdoğan announced Ankara's plans to launch a new military operation along its southern borders to establish a 30 km deep safe zone in response to what he called threats coming from northern Syria.

Thursday 26th May, 2022. Syrian Kurdish sources report more Jihadist mercenaries being deployed in Kurdish areas occupied by Turkey and Turkish-backed militias. Turkish-backed militias and Turkish forces agreed to reposition the jihadist organisation Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) mercenaries on the frontlines in the north and eastern countryside of Aleppo and facilitate their movements in the occupied Kurdish areas, Afrin, Al-Bab, and Jarablus. More than 300 mercenaries of the HTS were deployed in Afrin's southern adding Favertin and Bazira to their former positions in the Basofan and al-Sheikh Akeel villages, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) press centre reports. Another jihadist organisation, the Guardians of Religion (Hurras al-Din), also began deployment in the same area, to the villages of Kabbasin and Basuta, SDF said.

Tuesday 17th May, 2022. A group of women's organisations and individuals, feminists, union representatives, journalists and academics have called on the United Nations to take steps to stop Turkey's attacks against Kurds in north Syria, east Syria, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and the Yazidi homeland of Sinjar. The statement was signed by 75 organisations and individuals from across the world.

Thursday 5th May, 2022. Arîn Fexrî Muslim, a 37 year old woman and mother of two children was abducted in the Turkish occupied province Afrin on Tuesday. She was abducted at a check point operated by Turkish controlled forces, at the entrance to Afrin. There has not been any news from the 37 year old mother since the abduction. Independent researcher Meghan Bodette is carrying out a project named "The Missing Afrin Women" which includes a website with an interactive map, a list of the names of the individuals, the date and the location of the incidents. Bodette has collected data and has documented over 150 cases of missing women.

Friday 22nd April, 2022. The Turkish military has bombed a building in the city centre of Kobane this morning. Six mortar rounds hit two locations in Kobane city centre, including a building in the Kaniya Kurdan neighbourhood, on 48th Avenue. Two citizens were injured in the bombing while there has also been material damages.

Wednesday 6th April, 2022. In May 2017, British 27-year-old feminist and activist Anna Campbell travelled to Syria to join the fight against ISIS with the Kurdish Women's Protection Units (YPJ). 15th March 2018, she was killed by a Turkish Armed Forces missile strike during a Turkish military operation in the Afrin Canton named 'Operation Olive Branch'. Requests were made to the relevant Turkish authorities asking for Anna's remains and belongings to be returned to her family and despite extensive talks with the British Red Cross and Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, nothing has been received. The British Government refuses to assist. Today, the law firm representing her Father, Dirk Campbell, says "it is not too late for Turkey to change its ways" as he launches a case and the crowdfunding appeal to fund it.

Thursday 24th March, 2022. There are many Afrin Kurds abducted from Afrin by the “Free Syrian Army” (FSA), brought to Turkey and imprisoned with heavy sentences, the exact number unknown. Their families are not able to visit them and there are reports of severe violations of rights. It is also being reported that hundreds of Syrian Kurds are kept in Turkish prisons, deprived of their fundamental human rights. Four years have passed since the occupation of Afrin by Turkey and three years since the occupation of Girê Sipî and Sêrekaniyê. Hundreds of civilians kidnapped by paramilitary forces based on claims that they were members of YPG or YPJ. There is no official figure on the number, but according to the figures given by İHD and lawyers, there are a total of 128 prisoners in Urfa and Hatay prisons.

Wednesday 9th March, 2022. Large crowds of Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, Armenian and Turkmen women took part in colourful events organised on the occasion of 8th March and in celebration of women's achievements of equality and freedom in the region. International Women's Day was celebrated across North and East Syria (Rojava) yesterday, and tens of thousands of women participated in events.

Thursday 24th February, 2022. On the same day as Russia has invaded Ukraine, four people, including 3 women were injured in a drone strike on a civilian vehicle at the Qamishli-Amude road today. Turkey has been held responsible for the drone missile strike that injured four people inside a civilian vehicle near Qamishli. The people injured in the civilian vehicle on the Qamishli-Amude road have been identified as Daliya Şêxmûs (20), Roza Hemo (38) and Menîfe Himêdî (33). Turkey's strikes have killed at least 15 people since August.

Monday 21st February, 2022. February 21st was declared as World Mother Language Day by UNESCO to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. According to experts, education in your mother language is among the most important aspects of proper education and has to be treated as a right. However, Kurds in North-East Syria (Rojava) gained that right only after the Rojava Revolution. Since 2016, Zaningeha Rojava (Rojava University) has been developing a higher education alternative to the State's universities under the Ba'ath regime, which was to travel beyond Rojava to join one of these State universities, for example, in Latakia or Damas.

Friday 4th February, 2022. Yesterday, U.S. President Joe Biden announced in a press conference that Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the leader of ISIS, was killed in an operation on a compound in Turkish controlled Idlib, a province in NW Syria controlled by the jihadist group Tahrir al-Sham, and notable for the dozens of Turkish military posts scattered around the area and said that they carried out the operation in essential partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Friday 21st January, 2022. An attempt by the Islamic State (ISIS) to free ISIS prisoners at the Xiwêran Detention Centre in Haseke, was thwarted by units of the SDF yesterday. A number of ISIS fighters attacked the detention centre located in the Xiwêran neighbourhood, housing around 5,000 detainees affiliated with ISIS, after they detonated a bomb near the prison. As clashes ensued between the assailants and security forces, ISIS fighters retreated and fled after setting alight three oil trucks belonging to the Syrian Company for Storage and Distribution of Petroleum (Sadcop).

Saturday 1st January, 2022. Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) foreign relations official Abdulkerim Ömer shared his evaluations on the political and economic developments in the region in 2021 as well as ongoing diplomatic relations. Ömer emphasised the negotiations in Geneva regarding discussions for a constitution for Syria and underlined that there would not be any success unless the peoples of North East Syria were also included in the negotiations. He also underlined that they will develop relations with the Damascus government and the peoples of Syria in order to end the civil war, Ömer said, ”We will contribute to the establishment of peace with Damascus.

Friday 17th December, 2021. The Al-Hol Refugee Camp, is the largest camp and the most dangerous. This year 126 people were slaughtered in the Al-Hol Camp, also, there were 41 assassination attempts there and 13 tents were set on fire. According to the latest data, 57,460 people live in Al-Hol Refugee Camp. Most of them are women and children. The camp houses 15,603 Iraqi and Syrian families and 8,555 children from about 54 other countries. Despite the the SDF's repeated calls on international states to take their citizens away from the Al- Hol Refugee Camp, many have not yet responded.

Monday 6th December, 2021. Long before he would become commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), General Mazloum Abdi was a Kurdish revolutionary with a plan to transform Syria's crisis into an opportunity for his people. He posed those crucial questions in a 2011 booklet, 'Practical Steps for Building the Autonomous Administration.' While the Syrian government clung to power by force and opposition rebels fought to seize power for themselves, he and his comrades proposed a third path: winning self-determination for the country's two million oppressed Kurds by changing society from the ground up.

Sunday 21st November, 2021. Olive oil, an inevitable part of Mediterranean meals, will be produced after the collection of olives. But for now, the women of Kobani hurry to complete the last olive harvest of the season. Olives are divided into two classes when collecting; those for the table and those to be made into oil. It did not rain enough this year. If it had rained, the harvest would have started earlier. They begin by collecting the ones that are turned to purple, they do not touch to the green ones, and they usually work collectively during the harvest.

Wednesday 10th November, 2021. Three individuals from the same family were killed in a drone strike on Tuesday in a neighbourhood of Qamishli. The 3 people killed in the civilian vehicle in the neighbourhood of Hilêliyê have been identified as Yusuf Gulo, Mazlum Mustafa Gulo, Mihemed Mehmud Gulo. The Internal Security Forces of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) made a statement after the incident calling upon international powers to 'assume their responsibilities' for the protection of peace and stability in the region. The statement also held Turkey directly responsible for the drone strike.

Friday 22nd October, 2021. Turkish drone killed two individuals in a civilian vehicle in the town of Kobanê in Rojava (North and East Syria) on Wednesday, the General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said it was an outright violation of the current ceasefire agreements and a provocation. Two were killed and three were wounded in a drone attack on 20 October near the town square of Kobanê as a parked civilian vehicle was targeted. The wounded, including a minor, were taken to hospital for treatment.

Saturday 2nd October, 2021. Sureya Berekat (65) was reportedly abducted for her alleged connections with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). It is not known where Berekat was taken. Unfortunately, Bereket is not the first woman who has gone ‘missing' in Afrin since Turkey took control of the region. According to the latest information provided by the Afrin Human Rights Organisation, 40 women were killed, 128 women were injured, 60 women were raped between 2018 and 2019 in Afrin and 279 women were abducted. Five out of 60 women who were raped committed suicide.

Wednesday 29th September, 2021. The critical water shortage and its economic and political impacts have been discussed by delegates at the International Water Forum held in Hasekê, northern Syria. The shortage is mainly due to the diversion of the Euphrates River's flow by Turkey since January 2021. Although Turkey is obliged to allow a flow of 500 cubic metres per second according to a protocol signed with Syria on 17 July 1987, local sources have reported that recently only 150-200 cubic metres per second is getting across the border to north and east Syria.The low flow is threatening to cause a massive humanitarian crisis in the region, where water consumption is dependent on the Euphrates.

Wednesday 15th September, 2021. Tell Tamer, a district in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and an area of historical importance for the Christian Syriac community, has recently become the target of escalating Turkish attacks. The shelling of the town of Tell Tamer and surrounding villages has reportedly caused both substantial damage and a wide-scale civilian displacement. A spokesman for the Syriac Military Council, Matai Hanna, said that Turkish shelling recently destroyed two schools, a municipal building, a bakery and a power line and has caused a sense of instability and anxiety among the residents of the town, prompting many Assyrian Christian residents to flee.

Sunday 5th September, 2021. The invading Turkish state and its mercenaries have been carrying out intense invasion attacks on Zirgan for nearly two months. The invaders target the service institutions in the region and cut off the basic needs of the people such as electricity and water. Due to the bombardment of power lines in Zirgan, power has been cut off in 45 villages of the district for months. Til Temir Electricity Center co-chair Fehed Simêla told ANHA that the electricity in the district has been cut since the Turkish state attacks began, on 29 July.

Friday 20th August, 2021. Four members of a US-backed Syrian Kurdish force were killed in a Turkish air attack on the town of Tal Tamar yesterday, according to the Syrian Democratic Forces, part of an escalating multi-pronged campaign against Kurdish militants in Syria and Iraq. The SDF said the attack occurred at 6 p.m. local time and targeted the Tal Tamer Military Council headquarters. Sosin Ahmed, a prominent commander from the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) widely hailed for her bravery in the battle against the Islamic State, was among the victims.

Monday 9th August, 2021. In a statement, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Press Center announced that an operation was launched by special units in the rural areas of Shaddadi with the support of international coalition forces. The statement said: "The captured mercenaries were carrying out the task of ensuring the passage of ISIS mercenaries on the Deir ez-Zor-Serêkaniyê line. The mercenaries were detained together with the technical equipment they carried with them."

Sunday 25th July, 2021. The Women's Defense Units (Yekîneyên Parastina Jin, YPJ) have spoken out about the exhumation of corpses from a martyrs' cemetery by the Turkish occupation forces in Afrin and published the identities of the martyrs from the 2018 resistance. The Turkish media claimed in mid-July that the cemetery near Avrîn Hospital was a mass grave of civilians, victims of the YPG / YPJ. That this is a propaganda lie has already been confirmed by the institutions concerned with photos and documents, according to the YPJ. The desecration of the martyrs graves shows that the brutal approach knows no bounds.

Wednesday 7th July, 2021. In the cities of Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain) and Girê Spî (Tal Abyad) the Turkish army and the SNA, recruited from the remnants of ISIS and other jihadist groups, among others, have exercised a reign of terror. Again and again, people are abducted and tortured under fabricated charges or brought to Turkey in violation of international law and sentenced there. Young people are not the only targets of these repressive measures. Dozens of older women have also been imprisoned. Torture prevails in the dungeons. Those released repeatedly report sexualized violence.

Saturday 26th June, 2021. Furqet El-Hemzat mercenaries cut down 1,500 olive trees belonging to Behçet Ebdo, the former Defense Committee co-chair of Afrin Canton. The same sources said that the Turkish state had also turned Ebdo's house in the village into a headquarters and confiscated his house in the center of Afrin.

Monday 7th June, 2021. 49-year-old Mihemed Hisen Misto from the Beye village, in Afrin's Sherawa district was kidnapped by the Turkish-backed Faylaq al-Sham mercenaries and put in a dungeon in the village of Iska. According to the reports, the gangs released Mihemed Hisen Misto in exchange for one thousand dollars and 5 tins of olive oil. The man was kidnapped again on April 15th and was subject to deathly torture for three days in the same dungeon. Mihemed Hisen Misto was brought to a hospital in Afrin but lost his life on June 4th despite the medical efforts.

Monday 24th May, 2021. The SDF, in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces, launched a large-scale security operation yesterday targeting ISIS terrorist cells in Jazirat al-Bouhmaid in Deir ez-Zor western countryside. During the operation, forces arrested 24 terrorists including the three terrorists who last Wednesday, killed Muayyad al-Rayash, a member in Deir ez-Zor legislative council, as well as a number of others. The forces also confiscated a large number of hand grenades, kalashnikovs, sharp metal weapons, satellite communications equipment, identification papers and diagrams for some terrorist operations, as well as various military uniforms and narcotic drugs.

Monday 3rd May, 2021. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced counterterrorism units had captured a high-ranking ISIS leader Syria's in Deir al-Zor province. The SDF noted that the Internal Security Forces of northeast Syria, commonly known as Asayish, led the operation, carried out in al-Shafaa in Deir al-Zor's eastern countryside with air support from the US-led anti-ISIS Coalition. Col. Wayne Marotto, the Spokesman for the Coalition, also known as the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), said that the operations conducted by SDF aim to "degrade ISIS's capabilities and lead to their enduring defeat."

Thursday 15th April, 2021. Human Rights Organization calls for independent commission on crimes carried out in Afrin. Cebrail Mustefa, a member of the Afrin Human Rights Organization, called for the establishment of an independent commission to investigate the crimes committed in Afrin, saying they are war crimes. Afrin was occupied by the Turkish state and its mercenaries on 18 March 2018. Since then attacks against civilians, nature and historical sites, have been increasing by the day.

Saturday 3rd April, 2021. The first phase of the Humanitarian and Security Operation in Hol Camp was completed yesterday. Internal Security Forces announced that 125 ISIS secret cell members were arrested. The Hol camp is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world and stands as a symbol of the refusal of the international community to take responsibility for ISIS families. Over forty people have been murdered in the camp since the beginning of the year. The camp houses 62,000 people including some refugees and tens of thousands of family members of ISIS jihadists from 52 nations.

Wednesday 17th March, 2021. Women from Afrin: The Resistance of the Age continues. Afrin women in Shehba spoke about the 4th anniversary of the occupation of Afrin by Turkey, stressing that the Resistance of the Age continues, and they will resist until Afrin is liberated.The Turkish state occupied Afrin on 18 March 2018 following a military assault with heavy weapons on January 20, 2018. Women who migrated to Shehba after the occupation of Afrin spoke to ANHA on the anniversary of the occupation and stated that their resistance continues.

Thursday 11th March, 2021. Soldiers of the Turkish army attacked a family trying to cross the Rojava-Bakur (West-North Kurdistan) border. According to reports, the family from the village of Xezna in Zirgan district of Heseke was attacked in the region of Ibrahimiyah and Faqira villages at the border with North Kurdistan. The attack on Tuesday left an 11-year-old minor by the name of Adil Ebduleziz dead.

Friday 19th February, 2021. A group of Turkish-backed jihadists attempted an infiltration near Til Temir this afternoon. The mercenaries attempted to infiltrate the self-ruled area between the village of al-Dardara and a Russian checkpoint. The attempt resulted in a detonation of a mine that killed three jihadists and injured others. After the failed attempt, the Russian military mediated so that the dead could be recovered.

Saturday 6th February, 2021. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Thursday announced they launched a new operation in response to the killing of two female officials by Islamic State two weeks ago. The SDF media center said in a statement that its fighters launched a large-scale operation on Thursday from the town of Deir al-Zor to the Iraqi border. Hind Latif al-Khadir, co-head of the Tal al-Chayir council, and Economy Committee Co-head Sa'da Faysal al-Hermas were kidnapped from their homes in Hasakah province and killed.

Friday 22nd January, 2021. Two women named as Hind Latif al-Khadir, who was Head of the Economy Committee of Til Shayir, and Sa'da Faysal al-Hermas, who was co-president of Til Shayir People Council, were found shot dead after being abducted from their homes, according to the Rojava Information Center. In a statement, Hasakah Canton Council blamed Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells for the murders. Both women had received death threats over the past several months for their work with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

Tuesday 12th January, 2021. ISIS/Daesh increases attacks in Raqqa as Turkish-backed forces shell Ain al-Issa. One expert noted that the Russia and Syrian regime attempts to push the SDF to withdraw from the Ain al-Issa area and shelling by Turkish-backed rebels is “giving ISIS cells greater ability to conduct attacks deep behind the SDF lines.” The so-called Islamic State has claimed seven terrorist attacks in Syria's Raqqa province in the past ten days.

Saturday 26th December, 2020. The Rojava-based Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported that Turkish-backed mercenaries stormed houses in the villages of Xirbet Hemid to the east of the Turkish-occupied Serekaniye (Ras al-Ain) city late in the evening of December 24th. Citing local sources, the agency wrote that a youngster by the name of Yahya Ibrahim El Isa was abducted to an unknown location during the raids of the jihadists. The sources said that the dead body of the young man, with a few bullet marks, was found in the vicinity of the village yesterday morning.

Tuesday 15th December, 2020. Ambassadors and international human rights organizations called for the establishment of an international court to prosecute ISIS gangs. Morse Tan stated that a court similar to the Nuremberg Court where the fascist German leader Hitler was tried should be established.

Saturday 5th December, 2020. Afrin resident speaks of torture for a year and a half. Like many Afrin residents, young man M.A. decided to stay in his home, but he did not know that he would spend the next years of his life under torture in the basements of the occupation prisons. Only twenty days had passed since the occupation of Afrin when the mercenaries of al-Jabha al-Shamiyyah raided his house with three cars loaded with heavy weapons. It was not an ordinary arrest, but he was beaten and tortured inside the house, and then they blindfolded him and took him to the security department.

Sunday 22nd November, 2020. SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) special units and the International Coalition forces carried out two simultaneous and joint operations in Al-Harijiyah and Al-Ezbah areas in Deir ez-Zor countryside. According to the statement by SDF Media Center, five terrorists were arrested and a quantity of ammunition and technical equipment was seized during the operation.

Wednesday 4th November, 2020. The Turkish state and allied mercenaries continue committing war crimes against civilians in Syria. A man, woman and child from the same family were kidnapped after having their home in Til Temir town in the vicinity of the M4 highway stormed by the occupiers. The aftermath of the family remains unknown.

Tuesday 27th October, 2020. A mass grave containing the remains of 26 people from the same tribe has been discovered in the Badiya Jam region of Deir ez-Zor, Syria. The mass grave was found on Monday. 25 of the total 26 corpses found in the grave have been identified. All victims are members of the Shietat tribe. The remains have been buried in the cemetery in the town of Abu Hamam. During three weeks of genocidal attacks in July and August 2014, ISIS mercenaries massacred numerous people from the Shietat tribe. As many as 1200 people were murdered in these attacks.

Sunday 25th October, 2020. The attacks of the Turkish and jihadist occupation forces on the autonomous regions in northern and eastern Syria continued on Saturday evening. According to ANHA, the villages of Hoşan and Xalidiyê as well as the Saqir way station near Ain Issa were attacked with heavy weapons in the late evening. In the north of Til Temir, artillery shells were fired at the village of Derdara. The villages of Hewşeriyê and Toxhar in the northeast of Manbij were also bombed with heavy weapons, damaging homes.

Sunday 4th October, 2020. Kurdish civilian Muhammad Emir, who was abducted from Afrin in northwestern Syria by occupation troops, is said to have committed suicide in prison in Elbistan, Turkey. The case raises questions, since Emir was abducted to Turkey by the Turkish army in spring 2018 and taken into custody there under Turkish law on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization" - for alleged crimes he is said to have committed in Syria. It is unclear in what way the man is said to have taken his own life. The prison management was not available for a statement. The death register in the Maraş province only shows that Muhammad Emir was born in 1963 and died on October 2, 2020.

Wednesday 23rd September, 2020. A video posted on social media on September 11 shows an operation to arrest five women and six children belonging to the Islamic State organization. They had tried to escape, hidden in a tanker, from the Al-Hol camp, the largest in Syria, which is home to thousands of internally displaced persons including several thousand jihadist families, held by Kurdish fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces since the end of 2018. These escape attempts are frequent according to the SDF, and primarily endanger the children of these prisoners.

Thursday 17th September, 2020. In a Twitter post on the documented facts, Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi said: “The report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry is a just small part of the war crimes committed by the armed factions against our people in Afrin, Serekaniye and Tal Abyad, with political cover from Turkey. The international community should hold the parties accountable for war crimes and take serious action to prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes and bring them to justice.”

Sunday 6th September, 2020. The Women Defend Rojava campaign has published a report on human rights violations in Turkish-occupied Afrin. Two and a half years after Turkey and its jihadist allies invaded the predominantly Kurdish region of Afrin in northwestern Syria, excessive violence, looting and expulsions continue to occur in the formerly self-governing canton. There are almost daily reports of kidnappings, arbitrary arrests, torture, rape and murder in the occupied territories. The cases are increasing from month to month and are becoming more and more brutal as the activities of the jihadists become part of everyday life.

Monday 24th August, 2020. For the eighth time, Turkey and affiliated local councils use water to blackmail in COVID-19 pandemic. 89 organizations denounce Turkey's repeated water cut to hundreds of thousands of people in Syria's North East. The Alok water pumping station, which is located east of the city of Ras al-Ayn/Sere Kaniye and has 30 wells, which can pump up to 175.000 cubic meters per day, supplies drinkable water to around 800.000 people besides being the main source to fill the tanker trucks that carry water to the makeshift camps of al-Hawl, al-Areesha (or al-Sadd) and Washo Kani (or al-Twaina), according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Wednesday 12th August, 2020. Turkish intelligence launched a wide campaign of arbitrary arrests in the city of Afrin and its countryside in northwestern Syria, arresting 17 Kurdish civilians, local sources said. The sources reported that the civilians were arrested on charge of being affiliated to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a key ally to the US-led global coalition in fighting against the Islamic State (ISIS) group in Syria. Turkish Ministry of Defense on Tuesday claimed the individuals arrested in Afrin to be members of the SDF and their leading component, the People's Protection Units (YPG).

Tuesday 4th August, 2020. Some healthcare workers caught Covid-19 in the city of Hesekê, Rojava, Kurdistan. Health Council Co-chair Ciwan Mustafa said that among the 5 people who tested positive in Hesekê, there were healthcare professionals. Stating that the number of coronavirus cases is not high in Rojava, Ciwan Mustafa stated that the epidemic is under control. According to the data of the Health Board, Covid-19 has been detected in 30 people in Rojava so far. There was no loss of life. The Autonomous Administration announced on July 24 that a series of measures were taken against the epidemic, from the closing of the border gates to the ban on collective activities.

Saturday 18th July, 2020. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria calls upon the whole world to hold Turkey to account for smuggling ISIS members and implicit and explicit support for ISIS. The Turkish secret service MIT has freed a Moldovan female member of ISIS and her children held in the Hol (al-Hawl) camp in Hesekê in northeast Syria and handed them over to Moldova. The "rescue operation", according to a report by the official news agency AA, apparently took place at the request of the government of the South-East European country.

Wednesday 1st July, 2020. Women Defend Rojava has issued a new report titled "Women under Turkish occupation. Femicide and gender-based violence as systematic practice of the Turkish occupation in Afrin". The dossier documents violence against women in Afrin, proceeding from Turkey and the jihadist groups supported by Turkish state. Since Turkey attacked and occupied the north-western region of Syria at the beginning of 2018, people, specially women, have repeatedly been subjected to abductions, violence, including in particular sexual violence, and murder.

Sunday 28th June, 2020. Turkey's jihadist proxies involved in the occupation of North-East Syria have set fire to agricultural land in Qasimiyah village of Til Temir (Tal Tamr). The fire started at 10 pm Saturday evening and quickly spread to a larger area due to the wind. Since the beginning of May, Rojava has been suffocating again in field fires started by Turkish occupation forces and their jihadist allies.

Friday 5th June, 2020. SDF operation continues: 21 ISIS members arrested. The SDF have been conducting a major operation against ISIS cells in the Deir ez-Zor region for more than 24 hours. 21 jihadists have been arrested so far. The international coalition is providing air support. According to current information, the operation is scheduled to last one week.

Friday 22nd May, 2020. Only one of the 16 hospitals in the north-east is fully functioning and more than half of all public health centres are out of service. Sporadic water shortages disrupt daily life and weaken people's ability to take basic hygiene precautions against COVID-19. In some places, generators have become the only source of power. Families have been displaced repeatedly, often left with no choice but to return to towns and villages where public services have collapsed.

Friday 1st May, 2020. Deir Ez-zor Province - ISIS armed members attacked a checkpoint affiliated to Syria Democratic Forces in Daman village in the eastern countryside of Deir Ez-zor. The attack left an Iraqi ISIS member dead, while five SDF members sustained injuries. Yesterday, sources monitored an attack by four members of ISIS cell on an SDF military vehicle near the gas plant in Jadidat Akidat town in eastern countryside of Deir ez-zor. The attack left three SDF fighters injured.

Wednesday 22nd April, 2020. Ali Ahmed, 74, from the town of Medanki, in the Sharran district of Afrin, lost his life today due to the wounds he sustained. According to a local source, Ali was beaten with sticks after he objected to grazing livestock belonging to elements of the "Sultan Murad", in his field. This is the second crime against the elderly this week in Afrin as Kurdish woman, Fatima Ibrahim Kana, 80, was found dead in her home in the village of Haikja on April 18th, 2020, signs of strangulation were found around her neck as well as clear traces of a beating on her body.

Saturday 18th April, 2020. The Jihadist militias linked with the Turkish army recruited two children to carry out a suicide attack against the Kurdish troops of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in north of Syria. A Turkey-backed Jihadist group sent two children, aged less than 15, disguised as shepherds, to carry out a suicide attack on SDF troops. One of the children blew himself up before reaching the SDF target, injuring the second child in explosive vest. The SDF in a nearby position managed to arrest the injured child and took him for treatment.

Sunday 5th April, 2020. Turkey released Faisal Blou, known as Emir (Prince) Abu Ahmed, a former official of ISIS responsible for murders and kidnappings of Syrians after he was held in a prison of a Turkish-backed group in Tal Abyad. The former ISIS official was responsible for the killings and kidnappings of dozens of civilians during the ISIS control period, as the report included a testimony about Blou's role in the killing of five members of a family who had been displaced from Raqqa to Tal Abyad in 2015.

Wednesday 25th March, 2020. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) voiced support for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call the previous day for a global ceasefire in order to focus on fighting the coronavirus. “The General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces declares its commitment to global efforts which aim to combat coronavirus with support and effective response to this situation,” the SDF Command said in a statement.

Thursday 19th March, 2020. Turkey's invasion of the northwest Syrian district of Afrin two years ago led to widespread ethnic cleansing and displaced some 180,000 Kurds, fundamentally upending the region's long-established demographics. Before the Syrian conflict began in 2011, Afrin was estimated to have a population of 400,000, but that increased significantly when between 200,000 and 300,000 displaced Syrians sought sanctuary in the region. Syrian Kurdish officials said Afrin's population was 85 percent Kurdish before the invasion, but said two years later, the Kurdish population had been reduced to 20 percent.

Wednesday 11th March, 2020. Turkish occupation experts destroy “Tel Andib” in search for antiquities. In this context, the Turkish occupation continues to steal and destroy archaeological sites in the Afrin region, where more than twenty archaeological sites have been documented which have been vandalized by the Turkish occupier and the militants of Islamic militias, which are hills, churches and castles, also, the ruins of the village of Albiskeh were stolen and destroyed, including mosaic paintings.

Wednesday 26th February, 2020. Turkish Bombardments Kill Three Members of Kurdish Family in Afrin. According to a human rights monitoring group, the bombardments were focused on the villages of Aqibe and Sokhanke, as the result of which, a couple with their 12-year-old daughter were killed. The family were originally from Bremja village, but they escaped to Aqiba in 2018 after Turkey attacked their areas.

Sunday 23rd February, 2020. The mercenaries of the Turkish occupation kidnapped five civilians among them two women from Om AlKeif village in the countryside of Tel Tamr city. The fate of them is still unknown.

Monday 17th February, 2020. Turkish Mercenaries have kidnapped a young woman from Efrîn. Her name is Eyşe Xelîl Kadro and she is from Efrîn's Kefer Sefrê village in Cindirese district. Her fate is unknown but knowing the Mercenaries crimes to women we fear the worst.

Sunday 16th February, 2020. Suad Mustafa, the Mother of slain Hevrin Khalaf, female Syrian Kurdish politician, called on the UN, the US, human rights organizations, and international courts for justice, saying, “I want Erdogan to be held responsible for this crime. Hevrin devoted her life to unity and brotherhood of all people in the region. Every perpetrator should be tried for her assassination.”

Monday 10th February, 2020. The Islamic State (IS) has executed one civilian for cooperating with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Members of the Islamic State sleeper cells broke into the house of a civilian in Al-Hawaij village in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor they then took the civilian to the village's desert, and then cut his head off with a sharp object. "Then, they brought his body to the village center and they o pened fired into the air, for dealing with SDF.

Thursday 30th January, 2020. Kurdish Girl, Zuleika Ottman, was kidnapped by Abu Ali of Erdogan's Hamza Mercenaries from Hêsen village in Efrîn's Reco District, 10 days ago. She was received in an Idlib Hospital suffering from severe internal bleeding from rape, she has been placed in intensive care.

Sunday 19th January, 2020. Mohamed Fatih's group kidnapped a group of 10 civilians from the village of Ko in Afrin, including three women. The three women are: Amina Kg, Hatice Hassan and Hatice Mohamed. Among the men taken are: Ahmed Mustafa, Bhagat Hassan, Good Arif, Bhagat Mukhtar and Mustafa Hassan. It is reported that the kidnapped are mostly civilians who were previously investigated for dealing with Kurdish self-administration.

Saturday 11th January, 2020. The body of a 5-year-old girl named Erwa, who disappeared a month ago in Efrin, was found in an olive orchard in Mabeta. FSA gangs say that the small child froze to death, but some sources say the child died as a result of sexual abuse by the gangs. If she had frozen to death in the olive orchard she would have been found long before so their story can not be true but sadly her death won't be investigated properly either.

Friday 3rd January, 2020. Mahmoud Omari Hassan, born in 1992, has cerebral palsy and he has been arrested, beaten and detained in Serê Kaniyê (Ras al-Ain). A doctor who has been treating Mahmoud for the past 20 years stated he would be in serious danger if left without medical attention. Mahmoud is being kept in Ras al-Ain with a group known as Hamzat affiliated to the Turkish-backed militia with the misleading name, the Syrian National Army (SNA). It is openly and directly supported by Ankara.

Thursday 2nd January, 2020. A protest took place in Gre Spi (Tel Abyad) today, demanding that the fighter with Faylaq al-Majd, a Turkish-backed faction, who killed a local taxi driver Ammar Al-Hajji, during a robbery attempt, be handed over for execution. A local source said that Ammar al-Hajji, who worked as a taxi driver in Gre Spi (Tel Abyad), took some militants of the Turkish-backed armed militia of Failaq al-Majd, to the village of Kendar. When they arrived, Turkish affiliated militants tried to steal al-Hajji's car and his money, but he resisted them, prompting them to kill him.

Tuesday 17th December, 2019. Commander of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazlum Abdi, has once again accused Turkey of leading a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Kurds in northern Syria. Abdi, whose fighters played a key role in defeating the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, said in an interview that Turkey has a plan for a demographic change in the Kurdish areas of north and northeast Syria through, what Abdi calls, “an invasion”. The SDF have also accused Turkey of continuing its attacks on the Kurdish-held areas, saying that a number of US-backed Kurdish fighters were killed recently.

Friday 13th December, 2019. It is alleged Abdo Othman Hamza Cmndr has commited countless crimes against the people of Syria, mostly to the people of Efrîn where it is claimed he along with his gangs have murdered, extorted, kidnapped, burned properties and looted. Witnesses claim in particular Hamza cmndr Abdo Othman took part in the crime of suffocating an elderly lady to death. Several reports are now indicating he has left Syria for Holland in Europe.

Wednesday 4th December, 2019. Today 10 people were laid to rest (8 of them children, 2 were elderly) after a Turkish mortar strike on a school in the village of Tel Rifat, Syria on Monday. The youngest was the 3-year-old Abdullah Fattah Aliko. French President Emmanuel Macron came forward during the NATO summit by criticizing Turkey's approach in Northeast Syria, “The common enemy today is the terrorist groups. I'm sorry to say, we don't have the same definition of terrorism around the table,” and went onto call out Turkey's relationship with ISIS, “When I look at Turkey they are fighting against those who fought with us shoulder to shoulder against ISIS (Islamic State) and sometimes they work with ISIS proxies.”

Wednesday 20th November, 2019. Turkish drone strike on a civilian truck in Qerosol village, Kobane countryside early evening today. Rokisan (22) and her sister Newroz, (25) were wounded and after arriving at Kobane hospital they have been transferred on to Manbij. Two deaths are confirmed - one is their brother, Nizam Mahmoud Feto (20) the other is their cousin, Haci Hemed Sali.

Tuesday 19th November, 2019. Reports indicate that 40 Turkish soldiers, including a Major General, have been recalled to Hatay after being implicated in human trafficking in Afrin. A pro-Free Syrian Army Telegram channel posted evidence of the ring early this week after Turkish officials refused to release a FSA-affiliated media worker. Photographs of official identity cards belonging to at least two Turkish security personnel were published, along with photographs of some of their victims.

Saturday 14th November, 2019. The west can expect major ISIS attacks thanks to Syria failure Kurdish General Mazloum Kobani warns. "The Turkish offensive into SDF-held territory—also known as Rojava—had taken the pressure off ISIS fighters who survived the Western-backed campaign to destroy their so-called caliphate in Syria. The danger of the resurgence of ISIS is very big. And it's a serious danger. I think there are many people who don't know this but it's true. The Turkish aggression opened the space and provided hope for ISIS members."

Sunday 3rd November, 2019. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appeared to back a Turkish plan to settle millions of mostly Arab refugees from other parts of Syria in an area where more than 180,000 Kurds had been forced to flee in recent weeks. The UN also did not say the 180,000 civilians, which its own experts have recorded fleeing, have a right to return to their homes in northern Syria. Instead the UNHCR, will now be asked to study the proposal to replace them with 3.6 million other Syrian refugees who live in Turkey.

Sunday 27th October, 2019. Last night the cumulative work of 70 USA soldiers, 50 Kurdistan Peshmerga forces, and 100 Kurdish led Syrian Democratic forces (SDF) came to fruition in the operations which killed the Islamic State Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Barisha village, Idlib, North West Syria. "A successful historical operation as a result of joint intelligence work with the United States" said SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi.

Thursday 24th October, 2019. Kurdish General Mazloum Kobani Abdi, 52, leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a “wanted terrorist” and the US must hand him over to Turkey, Erdogan said in an interview with state-owned TRT. On Sunday, Commander Mazlum Kobani of SDF said he had been invited to visit Washington but declined to say by whom or when he might go.

Tuesday 22nd October, 2019. Russia and Turkey announced a wide-ranging agreement that would establish joint Russian and Turkish patrols along much of the Turkish and Syrian border within six days to create a "Safe Zone". The Russian-Turkish agreement says Kurdish militias must withdraw into Syrian territory beyond 30 km from the Turkish border. The SDF have not announced acceptance of this agreement however they have agreed to the new 150 hour ceasefire.

Friday 18th October, 2019. Turkey started bombing and shelling Serekaniye (Ras Al-Ain) this morning after they announced ceasefire. YPJ commander in Serekaniye (Ras Al-Ain) countryside says that Turkish-backed factions are reassuring one another over radios that they will not back down or stop fighting even if there is a ceasefire.

Thursday 17th October, 2019. Turkish military shells Ras Al-Ain Hospital in conjunction with the announcement of the ceasefire by the U.S.A. and Turkish sides. Third time today so far and there are reports of civilian casualties in the hospital.

Thursday 17th October, 2019. Peace agreement has been made between U.S.A. and Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu: We've agreed with Washington that the Turkish forces will be in control of the safe zone in northern Syria. A five-day Turkish cease-fire in northern Syria has been agreed to allow for a Kurdish withdrawal from a 32 mile safety zone along the Turkey Syria border.

Tuesday 15th October, 2019. Serekaniye (Ras al-Ain) - Kurdish fighters battled to defend a key border town from Turkish-backed forces today as Russia seized on the US withdrawal to move its troops into new areas. - Erdogan vows to continue -

Tuesday 15th October, 2019. As Turkey continues its onslaught of northeast Syria, the Syrian Kurds are using a sophisticated network of tunnels and other battlefield tactics to recapture some of the territory seized by Turkish-backed forces. The group built a defensive network of tunnels beneath key towns throughout northeast Syria as a contingency against a Turkish invasion. Now, with U.S. troops evacuating and no U.S. air support, the Kurdish fighters are successfully using the tunnels to defend the border towns.

Tuesday 15th October, 2019. - Families are sleeping on floor of schools without blankets or mattresses - Lack of food, especially bread, maternal milk, drinking water and hygiene stations - The city oven cannot feed the refugee influx, so village ovens are being used to distribute bread to the schools.

Tuesday 15th October, 2019. Which groups are fighting on Turkey's side in Syria?

Monday 14th October, 2019. Kurdish forces strike deal with Damascus, Moscow to repel Turkey. The announcement represents a major shift in alliances for Syria's Kurds, who were longtime partners with the U.S.A. in the fight against the Islamic State militant group. The decision also sets up a potential clash between Turkey and the Syrian government and raises the possibility of a resurgent Islamic State group.

Saturday 12th October, 2019. Kurds accuse Turkey of using white phosphorus on civilian targets. In a statement issued, the Kurdish administration said Turkey had resorted to their use because of unexpectedly stiff resistance by Kurdish fighters in the key border town of Ras al-Ain.

Wednesday 9th October, 2019. Turkey launches offensive against U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in northern Syria. Turkey's government launched a long-expected offensive into northeastern Syria on today, with airstrikes and shelling targeting Syrian Kurdish fighters who have played a central role in aiding the U.S.-led battle against the Islamic State militant group. Turkey's goal is to push back the Syrian Kurds, considered enemies by Turkey, from the border region. Turkey also claims the buffer region would be fit for the resettlement of millions of Syrian refugees residing in Turkey.

Monday 7th October, 2019. USA to let Turkish forces move into Syria, dumping Kurdish allies! The White House has given the green light to a Turkish offensive into northern Syria, moving US forces out of the area in an abrupt foreign policy change that will in effect abandon the Kurds, Washington's longtime military partner. Kurdish forces have spearheaded the campaign against Islamic State in the region, but the policy swerve, after a phone conversation between Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday.