“A convoy of Aleppo-affiliated security forces entered Afrin” on Thursday and “withdrew from it without explanation,” spokesperson of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) Kamal Akif said in a statement.
After the forces departed, “Afrin witnessed widespread arrests of those who went out to welcome the members of the public security forces,” Akif added.
He described the developments in the Kurdish majority city as “suspicious and worrisome” and warned that they could “exacerbate the suffering of our people who are living under occupation.”
The DAANES demanded “formal clarification” from Damascus over the incident.
Four young Kurdish men were arrested after raising the Kurdistan flag during a spontaneous reception of the security forces, according to a local monitor, Human Rights Organization-Afrin.
The Syrian interior ministry confirmed on Thursday the arrival of its forces in Afrin but did not specify the reason for the visit. Informed sources told Rudaw that it was part of a tour of the region.
Afrin is a Kurdish majority region in northwest Syria that has been under the control of militia groups that seized the area seven years ago. Many families were displaced and the militias have committed numerous violations against the Kurdish population that remained, drawing international condemnation.
In its statement, DAANES emphasized the importance of making “the return of the people of Afrin to their regions a top priority.”
