First batch of Afrin families return from Kobane: Official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A convoy carrying 623 displaced families returned from the Kurdish town of Kobane in northern Syria to Afrin on Tuesday, a local official said.

Several other groups have returned from Kurdish-held areas in recent months under the auspices of interim authorities in Damascus, but this marks the first group to return home from Kobane.

Mohammed Mohammed, administrator of Kobane’s central district, told Rudaw on Tuesday that all Afrin families living in Kobane who had registered their names were scheduled to depart at 10 am.

The families had been displaced multiple times over recent years. Many first fled Afrin in 2018 during a Turkish-backed offensive on the Kurdish city, which is located in northwest Syria. They were displaced again in 2024 following the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and once more in January amid renewed clashes between Syria’s new army and Kurdish forces in northeast Syria (Rojava).

Rudaw understands that five previous convoys carrying more than 2,400 families had already returned to Afrin from the cities of Hasaka and Qamishli.

Ilham Ahmad, co-chair of foreign relations for the Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), and Kobane district administrator Ibrahim Muslim were present during preparations for the convoy, bidding farewell to the families before their departure.

In April, more than 800 Kurdish families returned to Afrin, according to Hawar News Agency (ANHA), which is affiliated with the Rojava authorities. The returns followed earlier convoys of 400 families and 200 families on March 9 and April 4, respectively.

In mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated armed groups launched a major offensive on areas held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The operation led to the gradual withdrawal of Kurdish-led forces from territories in eastern Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and the Kurdish-majority Hasaka province.

After weeks of fighting, the SDF and Damascus signed an internationally brokered agreement in late January. One of the key provisions of the deal included the return of displaced people, including those returning to Afrin.