Shafaq News- Damascus

Kurdish families returning to their homes in Tal Abyad, in northern Syria, were attacked on Monday by men affiliated with armed factions, one of the returnees told Shafaq News.

According to another resident, the attackers had seized homes on the pretext that their owners belonged to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

About 50 families set out for Tal Abyad, known in Kurdish as Gire Spi, and its surrounding countryside on Monday morning, said one returnee, who asked not to be named for security reasons.

The families had coordinated their return in advance with the government, the area's administration and security forces, and had obtained documents proving ownership of their land and homes, he said. “All are original residents of the area, and none belong to families of SDF members.”

People gathered in the town center attacked the returnees, forcing the families to take shelter inside the area's administration building, according to a returnee. “Our cars were stolen or set on fire, and several men and women were beaten. Dozens of women and children remained trapped inside the building,” he said, appealing to the government to send security reinforcements and evacuate the families.

There was no immediate comment from Syrian authorities.

A Pattern of Failed Returns

In August, Kurdish families displaced from Ras al-Ain, known in Kurdish as Serekaniye, were also attacked in a similar incident after returning to their homes. In August, displaced Kurdish families also faced attacks after returning to their homes in Ras al-Ain (Serekaniye), prompting authorities to suspend returns to the town.

Both towns were captured in 2019 by Turkiye and allied Syrian opposition factions during Operation Peace Spring, which displaced more than 200,000 civilians, according to UN estimates. Tens of thousands remained displaced months later, many of them Kurds from the border region.

Read more: Clashes erupt as Kurdish families return to Ras al-Ain