After the invasion attacks of the Turkish state together with the so-called Syrian National Army gangs against northern and eastern Syria on 9 October 2019, the people of the region were subjected to persecution. The villages in Zirgan which are 1-2 km away from the areas occupied by the Turkish state and its gangs, are constantly attacked by the invaders.

ZIRGAN

25 of the total 60 villages in Zirgan region have been occupied by gangs. More than 10 villages, house to 50 thousand people, are close to the battle line. At least 28 thousand people migrated to these villages from Serekaniye due to the attacks. According to a ceasefire agreement concluded between SDF and the Turkish state under Russian mediation, Damascus government’s soldiers began to be deployed on the border line in the occupied regions.

One of these villages is Ereb Xan. Only 7 of the 25 families living in the village, which is 2 km away from the regions occupied by the Turkish state, are originally from the village itself. Most of the people living here have settled in the face of the invasion attacks. There is a checkpoint belonging to the Russian military police and Damascus government forces in the village. Village residents say the incidents of theft and plundering have increased again with the return of Damascus government forces.

Speaking to ANHA, the inhabitants of the village said that they wanted the SDF to come to the region again.

'THEY HAD STOLEN EVERYTHING BY THE TIME I RETURNED’

Sibîha El Nasir, one of the inhabitants, said, “I am a witness to the bombardment of the Turkish state and its gangs. They targeted civilian residential areas directly. I did not leave my village during the attacks. But after the Damascus government forces came to the village, I had to leave. When I came back to my house a few months later, I saw that my house had been plundered and everything in my house had been stolen. Such a thing never happened while the SDF was here when peace and confidence prevailed in the village. Theft and plundering started again following the arrival of the Damascus government forces.”

'THEFT AND PLUNDERING INCREASED AFTER THE SYRIAN FORCES CAME’

Another resident by the name of Ridwan Ali Mihemed said, “We had to leave the village after the attacks of the Turkish state and its gangs because our children were in danger. I took my children and went to Dirbêsiyê. After staying there for a month, I migrated to Hesekê. When I returned home after a while, I saw that nothing was ever the same. They had even disassembled parts of my car and placed them in their own cars. They had also removed the doors and windows of my house. All this happened after the Damascus government soldiers came to the village."

'SDF SHOULD COME BACK'

Another resident of the village named Salih Hesen Abdullah stated that they did not feel safe in the village after the arrival of Damascus forces and added, "The SDF should come back."