On Monday, a tragic incident occurred in the city of Jindires, located in the Afrin area in the northern countryside of Aleppo, where four Kurdish civilians were brutally murdered while celebrating Nowruz. The incident has caused widespread anger among the people, leading to demonstrations across the region, with demands for the immediate removal of factions from the city.
According to reports, the gunmen responsible for this heinous act were affiliated with the “Jaish al-Sharqiya” faction of the Syrian National Army. They opened fire on the innocent civilians who were simply lighting a fire to celebrate the Kurdish New Year holiday. The attack resulted in the death of 4 people, with 2 others sustaining serious injuries.
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The aforementioned faction has denied any affiliation with the militants responsible for the attack. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense of the Syrian Interim Government released a statement clarifying that the incident resulted from a quarrel between a civilian man and a military man who were family members.
The ministry has pledged to take action and has assured that the military police will pursue all those involved in the crime. They have also promised to work towards bringing the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible and to keep the public informed of the circumstances surrounding the incident as more information becomes available.
In light of these developments, the Liberation and Construction Movement, under whose banner Jaish al-Sharqiya operates, issued a statement on Monday evening stating that none of its members were involved in the attack. The statement further clarified that the perpetrators of the crime were civilians and not military personnel.
However, the families of the victims are demanding that all factions be withdrawn from the city and that those responsible for the murder of the four people be handed over to the authorities for justice to be served.
After the victims’ bodies were transferred to a hospital in Atmeh, located in Idleb countryside, dozens of residents from Jindires gathered to meet with the leader of “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham,” Abu Muhammad al-Julani. They demanded that all factions be removed from the city, to which al-Julani responded with only, “You protect me, hopefully.”
Meanwhile, the Syrian Network for Human Rights has condemned the attack and deemed it a violation of international human rights law. The organization has called for the perpetrators of this heinous crime to be held accountable for their actions.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights provided details of the victims, stating that they were all civilians from the Kurdish community. The victims were identified as Farhan al-Din Othman (43 years old), Muhammad Othman (42 years old), Nazmi Othman (38 years old), and Muhammad Farah al-Din Othman (18 years old). They were killed by members of the “Jaish al-Sharqiya” faction of the “Syrian National Army” while celebrating Nowruz and lighting a fire near the industrial city in Jindires, located in the Afrin region, northwest of Aleppo governorate, on 20-3-2023.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
