Syrian Jazira: Between the Silence of the Syrian Government and SDF Practices Under American Protection

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By: Khalil Al-Batran

Introduction
Hasakah is dying of thirst and hunger. Syria’s Jazira region, once known as the “breadbasket of Syria,” is now being plundered for its resources and land before the eyes of the world. Meanwhile, the majority Arab population is suffering under the harsh, coercive policies of the SDF militia, backed by the United States. All of this is taking place amid the near-total absence of the Syrian government, which has failed to fulfill its duty to protect and save its people from this systematic oppression.

SDF and Tools of Systematic Repression
The SDF militia imposes a harsh policy of forced conscription on Arab youth, punishing dissent or defection with brutal consequences, including execution, torture, and enforced disappearance. One of the most egregious examples is the cold-blooded murder of Sheikh Abdel-Tayyah in the village of Taninir in the Hasakah countryside—killed by SDF forces as a punishment for his son’s defection.
SDF also targets anyone raising the Syrian Arab Republic’s flag, treating the act as a crime. Numerous young men have been arrested for this, including Adi Adnan Al-Ali, who has been detained since December 2024 on fabricated terrorism charges for simply holding on to his national identity.

Hundreds of Political Prisoners – Adi Al-Ali’s Case Is Not Unique
The case of Adi Al-Ali is far from isolated. Hundreds of political detainees and forcibly conscripted youth are subject to repeated violations and arrests on false terrorism charges. In reality, their only “crime” is expressing loyalty to their homeland or refusing coercive policies.

Looting of Resources While People Starve
The SDF continues to steal oil, wheat, and water from the Jazira region, while the local population suffers from severe shortages in basic services such as electricity and clean water. Infrastructure is being dismantled and transferred to unknown locations—or smuggled through organized networks to the Qandil Mountains, the ideological and military stronghold of the SDF and its allies.

Ethnic Cleansing and the Regime’s Investment in SDF
SDF is implementing systematic ethnic cleansing policies against the indigenous Arab population of Jazira. Arab families are being targeted and killed based on identity, while residents are forced to comply with militia dictates—or face arrest or displacement. Prepackaged accusations are readily used: “ISIS member”, “Free Syrian Army”, or “Turkish collaborator.”
Since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in April 2011, the so-called Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) appeared on the scene and quickly took over regime-held positions after government withdrawal, inheriting military posts and weapons.
According to former Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Hijab, when asked why the Syrian regime handed over Jazira to Kurdish militias, Bashar al-Assad bluntly answered: “They are our allies. We’ve invested heavily in them. They will spare us the need to suppress the Kurdish street. They will be auxiliary forces fighting the armed opposition.” This statement was documented on video, alongside numerous diplomatic cables proving coordinated ties between the Syrian regime and the SDF.

Tunneling Operations and Cracking Buildings: A Looming Disaster
For years, the SDF has been digging a network of secret underground tunnels beneath towns and cities in Jazira—particularly in Hasakah—using advanced equipment and foreign expertise. These tunnels have caused serious structural damage to residential areas.
Stretching for tens of kilometers, the tunnels run under populated neighborhoods and public institutions, causing partial collapses and cracks in buildings. This poses a major humanitarian and structural threat that could lead to the collapse of entire districts.
The goal is not purely military—it includes weapons storage, troop mobility, and smuggling public property to unknown destinations, especially Qandil Mountains.
Warnings have been issued, but no one listens. Residents now live atop ticking time bombs amid complete silence from both the international community and the Syrian government.

Kurds Raise the SDF Flag in Damascus, While Arabs Are Arrested for Their Flag
Kurds are allowed to raise the SDF flag in the heart of Damascus without consequence, while Arabs in Jazira are forbidden even from posting a photo of the Syrian flag on social media.
This stark contradiction exposes the double standards and the falsehood of SDF’s branding itself as “Syrian Democratic Forces.”
What kind of democracy criminalizes raising one’s national flag? What “national forces” arrest citizens for expressing patriotic loyalty?
What is happening in Jazira is neither democratic nor patriotic—it is an internal occupation wrapped in deceptive slogans, silencing the majority and erasing the identity of the land and its people.

Government Silence and National Responsibility
Despite repeated pleas from the people of Jazira, the Syrian government remains absent or apathetic, risking the permanent loss of three provinces and endangering the future of national unity.

Call to Action: Pressure for the Release of Detainees
This grim reality requires serious action from the Syrian government, human rights organizations, and national and Arab media. There must be pressure on the SDF to immediately release political prisoners and end practices of repression, starvation, and ethnic cleansing that threaten the social and national fabric of Jazira.

Documents and Testimonies: Ongoing SDF Violations Against Jazira’s Residents
This report is based on credible reports from international and regional human rights organizations documenting SDF violations against Arab residents in Hasakah and Deir Ezzor:

Massacre in Hajiyah, Tal Khalil, and Al-Mutayneh (Qamishli countryside, Sept 13, 2014): At least 35 Arab civilians, including women and children, executed by Kurdish YPG forces.
Source: Al Jazeera Net, Sept 14, 2014

Forced Conscription and Identity-Based Arrests: Arabs forcibly conscripted; those who resist are arrested, and family members used as leverage.
Source: Syrian Network for Human Rights, 2022

Arbitrary Arrest of Adi Adnan Al-Ali (Hasakah, Dec 2024): Detained for raising the Syrian flag, falsely charged with terrorism.
Source: Zaman Al-Wasl, 2025

Destruction and Displacement of Villages: Systematic destruction of Arab villages and forced displacement—potential war crimes.
Source: Amnesty International Report – 2015

Tunnels and Cracked Residential Buildings: Military tunnels under populated areas endangering civilian lives.
Source: Syria TV, 2024

Crackdown on the Syrian Network for Human Rights: A targeted campaign against the organization for exposing violations.
Source: Sham News Network, 2025

Civilian Deaths in Eastern Aleppo Countryside (Nov 2024 – Jan 2025): 65 civilians, including children, shot by SDF snipers.
Source: Syrian Network for Human Rights, 2025

Detention of Female Teachers in Deir Ezzor (Nov 2024): Five female teachers arrested without charges.
Source: Syrian Committee for Human Rights, 2024

Inhumane Detention Conditions in SDF Camps: Reports of torture and deaths in detention camps in northeastern Syria.
Source: Amnesty International, 2024

Conclusion
Hasakah doesn’t need statements—it needs real rescue. If current policies persist, the Syrian Jazira will be lost forever, leaving behind only a dark chapter in the country’s history.

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