The Ruined Kurdish Village of Cilbirê in the Afrin Region

Observations on the ground, including photos

In a previous detailed report I did on the Afrin region, I noted that one could observe a genuine trend of the original Kurdish inhabitants returning to Afrin after large-scale displacement and extensive property rights violations committed in 2018 during Operation ‘Olive Branch’ when the Turkish military and Turkish-backed Syrian rebel groups dislodged the Kurdish-led ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’ from the region. Further, in general, both in Afrin and the wider north Aleppo region, Turkish influence over local administration has reduced as the new central Syrian state has established and consolidated institutions.

However, there are some caveats to this general assessment.