The body of a civilian was discovered in Mabeta district in the northern Syrian canton of Afrin. The victim is Said Abu Majid. In November, the man had been abducted by Turkish jihadist militias from his village, Edmana, in Rajo district. The ransom demand was not long in coming: the Islamists demanded 20 million Syrian liras (the equivalent of about 41,000 euros) from Majid's relatives. The ransom was handed over at the end of the week, but Majid was apparently murdered immediately afterwards. His entire body shows signs of massive violence, some of which are still fresh.

According to the Afrin Human Rights Organisation Afrin, more than 6,000 cases of kidnapping have been recorded in the region in the last two years. In about 3,300 of these cases, there is currently no information on where the victims are being held or what their condition is like. In many cases, bodies of abductees are found at the roadside. Many of them are marked by torture.

The occupation forces controlled by Ankara use the abductions to extort ransoms. This method has become a lucrative source of income. At least 500 cases of ransom handovers have been reported so far. Turkish-backed militias demand between 3,000 and 100,000 euros, depending on the ability of the victims' relatives to pay.