Politics

Peshmerga family again attacked in Afrin

The attack occurred in the town of Jindires, where Nezmi Ashraf Osman was stabbed with a knife, causing severe injuries.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2023/08/27 10:25

Mourners gather during the funeral of Kurdish victims killed the previous night by Turkish-backed fighters amid Newroz New Year celebrations, in Jindiris, rebel-held province of Aleppo on March 21, 2023 (Photo: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP)

Syria Afrin SNA Jindires

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Once more, members of a Turkish-backed faction launched an assault on a Kurdish Peshmerga family in the Jindiris district of Afrin on Saturday.

Fighters from Jaysh Al-Sharqiyah brutally beat family members and critically wounded a young man named Nezmi Ashraf Osman on August 26, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

The attack occurred in the town of Jindires, where Nezmi Ashraf Osman was stabbed with a knife, causing severe injuries. He lost consciousness and was subsequently transported to Bahar Hospital in Afrin City.

This incident marks not the first time that this 19-year-old young man has been targeted by this group. On July 23, a faction from Jaysh Al-Sharqiyah brutally assaulted Nezmi Ashraf Osman and struck him with a military vehicle, resulting in serious injuries including broken hands. He was then transferred to Etme Village Hospital near Idlib for treatment.

Earlier, on March 20, members of the Jaysh Al-Sharqiyah group opened fire on individuals who were celebrating Newroz with a bonfire. The attack claimed the lives of four Peshmerga family members and left three others injured.

The Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani at the time strongly condemned the attack and called on the local authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable and bring them to justice.

The Sharqiya Army is an offshoot of Ahrar al-Sharqiya, a group that was sanctioned by the US in 2021.

Furthermore, on August 20, gunmen from the Ahrar Al-Sharqiya faction targeted the residence of a civilian belonging to the Peshmerga family.

They issued threats to the family's only son, coercing them to abandon the case concerning the deaths of four civilians at the hands of Ahrar Al-Sharqiya members on March 20.

Reportedly, the Peshmerga family has called upon Kurdish civilians in the region to stand in solidarity against the transgressions of the Jaish Al-Sharqiya Faction.

They are urging human rights organizations and concerned international authorities in Syria to exert pressure on the Turkish government. The objective is to hold the Jaish Al-Sharqiya Faction accountable for its violations against the Kurdish people.

Earlier this month, Dr. Abdul Hakim Bashar, a member of the Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party - Syria (KDP-S), and Vice President of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, paid a visit to Afrin and also met with members of the Peshmerga family.

Dr. Bashar assured the family that the perpetrators of this tragic incident would face appropriate consequences for their actions. Additionally, he expressed the Coalition's full readiness to contribute all available resources towards achieving this goal.