An unexpected welcome: Syrian Kurds return to their homes in Afrin
Syrian Kurds are beginning to return to their homes in Afrin after years in exile, but have different experiences.
Afrin, Syria – When Dilshad Hamdo walked into the home his father built 30 years ago, there was no place to sit. The stone walls were intact, but the rooms had been stripped bare. Yet, standing in the empty space, there was still a strong sense of relief at being back home.
“I have a lot of memories in this house with my extended family. There is nothing like the house and the land,” Hamdo told Al Jazeera.
Hamdo fled Afrin as a young man in early 2018, during a Turkish-led military offensive, dubbed “Operation Olive Branch”, against the Kurdish-dominated People’s Protection Units (YPG) of the Syrian Democratic Forces.
The transitional government in Damascus is heavily promoting the return of families such as the Hamdos.