Abdulrahman Apo to Welat TV: 40,000 Afrin Residents Have Returned Since February 6

Welat TV – Erbil

Kurdish politician Abdulrahman Apo confirmed that approximately 40,000 displaced residents of Afrin have returned to their hometown since February 6, following the deployment of Public Security Forces to the Afrin region.

In an interview with Welat TV on Sunday, April 6, 2025, Apo stated, “After armed factions took control of the Manbij and Tal Rif’at areas, over 40,000 residents of the Shahba region headed toward Aleppo and settled in the Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods, waiting for an opportunity to return to their homes in Afrin.”

He added, “Following the February 6 decision that transferred authority over Afrin from Ankara to Damascus, more than 40,000 residents have returned to Afrin.”

Ongoing of Afrin’s People return

Apo noted that many residents who are able to return are doing so, despite facing significant challenges stemming from abuses by remnants of military factions affiliated with the Syrian National Army still present in the area. “People are still facing serious obstacles,” he said. “These include extortion, displaced individuals refusing to vacate homes, and cases where those who do leave demand money from homeowners and even dismantle and take anything of value with them.”

He further explained that the return movement continues to gain momentum, coinciding with the organized departure of displaced individuals in groups and convoys.

On February 6, 2025, convoys of Public Security Forces from the caretaker government entered Afrin to enforce a decision made during a meeting in Damascus on January 29, 2025.

That decision called for the dissolution of all armed factions operating under the name “Syrian National Army” and the elimination of all armed presence in the region.