Second Convoy of Afrin IDPs Returns Home Under SDF–Interim Government Agreement

PUKMEDIA

An internally displaced child poses for the camera in the back of a truck en route to Afrin.

The second group of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Afrin departed on Saturday to return to their hometown as part of the 29 January agreement signed between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Interim Government.

According to the Afrin and Shahba Displaced Persons Council, the convoy comprises approximately 200 families, transported in around 80 private vehicles, 48 trucks carrying belongings, and 14 buses. The families originate mainly from the Rajo district and the city of Afrin itself, and the convoy was accompanied by the White Helmets.

The Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Internal Security Forces in Hasakah Governorate, Mahmoud Khalil (also known by his nom de guerre Siyamend Efrin), announced the departure in a post on X, stating that the convoy would travel to Afrin via the M4 international highway.

He added that the initiative reflects both humanitarian responsibility and national duty, forming part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safe return of displaced residents to their areas.

The first convoy, which included around 400 families, returned to Afrin on 9 March.

Afrin, a Kurdish-majority city in northern Syria, came under the control of Turkish forces and allied factions in 2018, leading to the displacement of more than 137,000 residents. Many of those displaced initially sought refuge in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighbourhoods before being displaced again amid later clashes, ultimately relocating to areas then controlled by the SDF.



PUKMEDIA