Second Displacement of Afrin's Displaced from Shahba to East Euphrates

Second Displacement of Afrin's Displaced from Shahba to East Euphrates
Autonomous Administration's Preparations to Receive Kurdish Displaced Reflects Scale of Worsening Humanitarian Crisis East of Euphrates
December 2, 2024, 7:53 pm

تهجير أهالي عفرين الأصليين العام 2018\تعبيرية \ متداول

First groups of Kurdish civilians began leaving Shahba area in Aleppo amid rapid developments extending to Idlib and Hama following Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied Turkish factions' attack last Wednesday.

Military sources close to "Afrin Liberation Forces," a Kurdish armed group formed after Turkish-backed factions occupied Afrin in early 2018, reported "armed factions prevented civilians from reaching Aleppo after forces withdrew following violent clashes in Tel Rifaat and Shahba."

These Kurdish civilians, originally from Afrin, number about 300,000 according to UN statistics, distributed between Tel Rifaat town and Shahba area near Aleppo city.

A Kurdish military source told Al-Arabiya.net about "ongoing US-Turkish talks to find safe passage for displaced to reach Aleppo then eastern Euphrates, but factions cut this route after civilians left Tel Rifaat and Shahba."

US officials directly contacted the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, trying to convince Turkey to secure safe passage for Tel Rifaat and Shahba residents through Aleppo, planning to transfer them all to eastern Euphrates, along with Kurdish Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh district residents.

According to the source, HTS didn't obstruct Kurdish evacuation from Aleppo, but Turkey refused allowing Tel Rifaat and Shahba residents' exit. Ankara's expected to approve this proposal in coming hours.

Field sources reported civilian convoys leaving Tel Rifaat and Shahba Sunday reached nearby Fafin and Muslimiyah areas.

Sources revealed Autonomous Administration's preparations to receive hundreds of thousands from Tel Rifaat, Shahba, and Aleppo's Kurdish districts in eastern Euphrates areas, preparing temporary camps and shelters.

Levant-Agencies

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