Simultaneously with the attacks launched by Hayyat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) groups in Aleppo and Idlib countryside on 26 November 2024, the Turkish state and affiliated mercenaries carried out invasion attacks on Til Rifat, Shehba and Aleppo countryside.

The people who were forced to migrate from Afrin to Shehba due to the attacks of the Turkish state in 2018 have recently experienced a second wave of migration, this time to safer areas of Northern and Eastern Syria.

The people of Afrin, who have been resisting for the last seven years, emphasise that they will continue their struggle with determination. Many families displaced from Shehba have settled in a student dormitory in Hesekê city of Cizre Canton. Struggling to survive here, Afrin IDPs spoke to ANHA about the suffering and difficulties they have faced.

Leyla Mistefa stated that they had migrated to Shehba 7 years ago due to the Turkish state's occupation of Afrin and now they were subjected to a second migration. Leyla described her experiences as follows: “We witnessed many things during the war in Afrin. When we migrated to Shehba, we were on the road for days. Life in Shehba was very difficult; we were under siege and constantly under attack by the occupying Turkish state. Our children were injured in the bombardments, yet we resisted with the hope of returning to Afrin. Our struggle for seven years was only to return to Afrin.”

Remarking that they had to migrate to Cizre Canton following the most recent attacks of the Turkish state, Mistefa said that this migration took place under much more severe conditions. “We personally witnessed all the crimes committed by the occupying Turkish state on the way to migration. We saw with our own eyes the bodies of the slain people and the brutality against the people. We can never forget these incidents and neither will our children. For them, these incidents have turned into a nightmare.”

Mistefa stated that after they reached Hesekê, the Democratic Autonomous Administration provided assistance with all its means while international organisations remained silent: “No international organisation has come to our side so far. Our people are living in great difficulties. Still, our hope is to return to our lands one day.”

Zekiye Hebeş stated that they migrated from Afrin 7 years ago and the village of Um Hush near the border was constantly bombed. "We migrated again and came to Cizre Canton. We have many needs here. We settled in ruined houses, and living conditions are very difficult. In Afrin, we were living on our own and did not need anyone. Still, we will continue to make a living and survive no matter what.”

Heyder Bekir stated that the Turkish state’s attacks against the Kurdish people have not stopped for a moment, but the Kurdish people continue their resistance with determination. Drawing attention to the difficulties they are experiencing, he said: “We are currently staying in a youth hostel and we are facing many difficulties. The international community is silent about this situation and provides no support. Humanitarian organisations and institutions should come and see the difficulties we face here.”

Heyder Bekir added: “We will never give up our struggle. We will always struggle in order to be able to return to Afrin. The Kurdish people will not bow down to anyone.”