Highlights
16 - 22.02.26
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# AL-HOL EMPTYING OUT
Last week we reported on the exodus from the ISIS foreigners section of the al-Hol camp to the point of being nearly empty. Now it seems the camp as a whole, including the Iraqi and Syrian section are emptying since security at the camp has collapsed since the takeover of STG. There is little official information on where all the people have gone. It is likely some have moved to other parts of Syria, and that some have crossed illegally into Iraq and Turkey. STG is calling it an evacuation and says they are preparing the closure of the camp.
# US WITHDRAWS FROM SYRIA
The US has been present in Syria since the 2014 coalition against ISIS. Recently they left al-Tanf and Shaddadi bases, now they are also reported to be leaving Qasrik base near Heseke. The stated reason for this is that now the Syrian government is willing and able to take over "combating terrorists within its own borders". Through al-Sharaa, they are now able to extend their influence in the region through other methods than direct military involvement. At the same time, there are also US officials who are skeptical of the STG's ability to handle security risks of ISIS. Simultaneously, there is the question if this is not simply a re-distribution of troops closer to Iran, in case of a regime change there.
# DAMASCUS STARTS PROCEDURE
Citizenship of "Unregistered" Kurds
A significant part of the Syrian Kurdish population has no citizenship or official papers. This stems from policy in 1962, during which many were stripped of citizenship and civil rights. The repercussions of this have severely limited prospects of life for many Kurds for decades. Damascus said they are now opening a bureaucratic procedure to grant this group citizenship again. There is careful optimism, with caution as to how this will work out in practice.
# RETURN OF IDPs TO AFRIN
A joint security delegation from NES and STG traveled to Afrin to assess the situation. There is a plan to start returning IDPs to their homes soon. Some families have previously traveled back on their own initiative. However some of these families have faced issues such as theft, kidnapping, torture, etc. This is the first attempt at a structured return with some security considerations.
# MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE
The attendance of Mazlum Abdi and Ilham Ahmed at the Munich Security Conference seems to have been directly facilitated by the US. Abdi and Ahmed were not part of the delegation from Damascus. There is speculation that the main reason for their presence was a diplomatic one to calm the US parliament, as part of US congress is uneasy with STG expansion and the US withdrawal, having the SDF and STG together at a high-level meeting in Munich presents a picture of successful integration.
There are no clear binding outcomes of the conference. Though the following interviews with Abdi and Ahmed respectively give an insight into their perspectives on it.
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# EVALUATION
That the clearing of al-Hawl camp leading to unclarity about all the ISIS fighters' and sympathizers' whereabouts poses a massive risk, we do not need to repeat, it should be clear by now. Otherwise, careful cautious steps are continuing on the path of integration and normalization. With the same caveats, concerns, and risks, but also possibilities continuing to unfold. That imperial powers such as the US are in the end only pursuing their own ends, need to be all too familiar and expected for us.
In lieu of further own evaluation for this particular week, we want to share a quote by writer Cihad Hammy:
"The coexistence of diverse cultures is not a fantasy but rather a sociological reality in our regions. Our regions are woven from multiple histories, memories, and identities. What prevents differences from thriving is not their nature, but rather the structures of the nation-state and ideologies that operate through the hierarchical binary of “we” and the “Other.” We should not fall into the trap of such logic; instead, we must cultivate a consciousness capable of embracing unity within diversity and recognizing our shared human community.
The Syrian tragedy has shown how fragile revolutionary ideals can be when confronted by power politics, regional rivalries and internal miscalculations. But retreating into cynicism would only confirm the narrative that pluralism was always impossible.
I refuse to accept that conclusion.
The democratic nation remains, in my view, the only viable framework for Syria and for the broader region. Not because it is perfect, but because every alternative we have tried has led to catastrophe.
The revolution did not fail because the aspiration for coexistence was misguided. It faltered because we did not protect and institutionalize those values strongly enough.
The answer is not to mock them — but to deepen them."
Here you can read the entire comment:https://www.theamargi.com/posts/ocalans-vision-of-democratic-society
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