Shafaq News- Qamishli

The final convoy of displaced families from Syria's Afrin region on Thursday began returning home, as part of the Syrian government's plan to return displaced residents.

Mustafa Abdi, a member of the presidential team overseeing the implementation of the agreement between the Syrian government and theKurdish lead Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), told Shafaq News that the convoy includes 1,020 families, adding that ambulances and medical teams are accompanying the convoy under heightened security measures to ensure the families reach Afrin safely.

“The government remains committed to returning all displaced residents once security conditions allow,” Abdi stressed, clarifying that the return of families displaced from Serekaniye (Ras al-Ain) “depends on ongoing mine clearance and the removal of unexploded ordnance.”

He explained that three engineering teams, including mine-clearing units from the Syrian Army's 60th Division, continue demining operations in the area. Authorities plan to begin the return of about 12,500 families from Ras al-Ain after securing roads and residential areas.

Rawan Allo, who has been displaced from Afrin since 2018, told Shafaq News that the return of residents to their villages “marks the end of years of displacement and hardship.”

Hasakah Deputy Governor Ahmed Al-Hilali told reporters that the convoy includes nearly 1,000 families and represents the last remaining Afrin residents living in the province. He said school examinations, the agricultural season, and other commitments prevented them from joining earlier convoys.

In 2018, Turkiye and Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions launched a military operation in Afrin, triggering the mass displacement of residents. International organizations have documented alleged violations against the area's Kurdish population, including killings, arbitrary arrests, forced displacement, property looting, and extortion targeting farmers.

The conflict forced many Afrin residents to migrate to European countries and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where many have settled. However, Allo called on the Syrian government and international organizations to support returning families, saying many homes and agricultural lands, including olive groves, suffered damage and looting.