HASAKAH, Syria: A first group of Syrian Kurds were headed for the northeastern border town of Ras Al-Ain on Monday following years of displacement, months after an integration deal between the Kurds and Damascus.
The January agreement on merging Kurdish forces and civil institutions into the state included the return of displaced Kurds but residents of Ras Al-Ain had still been waiting, prompting appeals to authorities for assistance.
Tens of thousands of Kurds were displaced when Turkiye and allied Syrian fighters seized an Arab-majority strip of territory along the Turkish border, including Ras Al-Ain, from Kurdish control in 2019 during Syria’s civil war.
Jawan Isso, from a committee representing displaced people from Ras Al-Ain, told AFP that a “first batch” of some 2,500 people were headed home on Monday.
“This step is the result of efforts by all sides and ongoing coordination” between the Damascus and Kurdish authorities, he said, adding that “the second batch will be transferred in the coming days.”
