Third group of displaced Afrin families in Qamishli returns to home areas

At dawn on Tuesday, April 14, the third group of displaced families from Afrin living in Qamishli, in northeastern Syria’s al-Hasakah countryside, set off as part of an organized return program to their home areas in northern Aleppo countryside, after years of displacement that affected thousands of families.

Returning families gathered at the western entrance to Qamishli before convoys of buses and trucks began heading toward Afrin, under pre-arranged logistical measures aimed at organizing transportation and ensuring the gradual, coordinated return of residents to their areas.

Largest group so far

This group is the largest since return operations from northeastern Syria to Afrin began, comprising around 800 families, according to Ahmad al-Hilali, spokesperson for the presidential team.

The move follows earlier groups. The first returned on March 9 and included around 400 families, while the second, on April 4, included nearly 200 families. The increase in the number of returnees in the current group reflects a gradual expansion in the scope of organized return operations.

Logistical arrangements and phased return

The return process is being carried out under a phased plan aimed at bringing displaced people back in an orderly manner, through coordination between the relevant authorities to provide buses and trucks, facilitate the movement of families, and ensure their arrival in their original areas.

According to available information, the transportation of families is expected to continue in the coming days through additional groups, as part of ongoing administrative and logistical arrangements related to the return process.

Ahmad al-Hilali, spokesperson for the presidential team, said the departure of the new convoy comes as part of ongoing efforts to address displacement and return, under the direct supervision of the presidential team.

Al-Hilali added that this convoy is among the largest organized return operations so far, saying it reflects “tangible progress in creating the necessary ground and service conditions for residents to return to their areas.”

He said the presidential team held an expanded meeting two days ago with displaced people from al-Hasakah province in Ras al-Ain, during which it listened to their demands, particularly concerns related to the security situation and the possibility of returning to some neighborhoods in and around Afrin.

He stressed that addressing these concerns is a priority at the current stage, pointing to continued coordination with the relevant authorities to ensure “a safe and stable environment that allows for a gradual and dignified return of residents.”

Part of the January agreement

These developments come within the framework of implementing the agreement signed in January 2026 between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, which includes provisions related to facilitating the return of displaced people to their original areas, alongside administrative and security arrangements in northeastern Syria.

The return of displaced people from Afrin is one of the key issues under this agreement, given the presence of thousands of families who were displaced over the past years to cities and towns in northeastern Syria, where they settled because of military and security conditions.

Returns expected to continue

Available information indicates that the return of families will continue in the coming period through successive groups, alongside efforts to expand logistical facilitation and accelerate the pace of return.

Many displaced people hope this step will mark the beginning of a new phase of stability, allowing them to return to their homes and resume normal life in Afrin after years of displacement and hardship.

Successive waves of displacement

The displacement of thousands of families from Afrin dates back to early 2018, when Turkey, with the participation of factions from the Syrian National Army, which has since joined the Ministry of Defense, launched a military operation called Olive Branch. The operation targeted Afrin, which was then under the control of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, YPG.

As military operations advanced and attacking forces took control of central Afrin in March 2018, large numbers of residents, particularly Kurds, were displaced to areas in northeastern Aleppo countryside, especially al-Shahba, which includes towns such as Tell Rifaat, Fafin, and Ahras, where thousands of families settled in difficult humanitarian conditions in camps and temporary shelters.

Later, some families dispersed to other areas in northeastern Syria, including Raqqa province, particularly al-Tabqa, as well as the cities of al-Hasakah and Qamishli, in search of better living conditions and more stable services amid limited resources in al-Shahba.

Over the following years, the issue of Afrin’s displaced people remained unresolved, amid security and political complications that prevented their return, along with fears related to security conditions and demographic changes in the area.

With the military developments that accompanied the fall of the Syrian regime in late 2024 in northern Aleppo countryside, particularly in al-Shahba and around Tell Rifaat, the area witnessed a new wave of displacement, as families living there were forced to leave once again for safer areas in northeastern Syria, such as al-Hasakah and Raqqa.

Repeated displacement further worsened the humanitarian conditions of these families, who found themselves facing a new wave of uprooting after years of initial displacement, increasing pressure on infrastructure and services in host areas.

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