ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - After nearly eight years of displacement, a first batch of 400 families from northern Syria’s Kurdish city of Afrin are set to return home from Hasaka on Monday as part of the agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Damascus.

Mahmud Xalil, also known by his nom de guerre Siyamend Efrin, deputy security director of Hasaka, said the move to send the families back comes after a field visit to Afrin and a meeting with a delegation from Damascus within the framework of implementing the January 29 ceasefire and integration agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government. 

“This step is a fundamental pillar for the security and stability of Syria. Through it, we affirm that the era of displacement must end with the sons of the land returning to their homes with dignity and safety, and our efforts continue until the last displaced person returns to their home,” said the Kurdish official.

On January 29, the SDF announced that it reached a “comprehensive agreement” with Damascus to enable a phased integration process of the Kurdish-led forces into the Syrian state after weeks-long clashes between both sides.

One of the key provisions of the agreement is the safe return of the displaced residents in Afrin and Sari Kani. 

Afrin, a Kurdish-majority city in northern Syria, was taken over in 2018 by Turkey and its proxies, leading to the displacement of more than 137,000 native residents.

Following the 2018 offensive, residents fled to Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, where they were once again subjected to hardship and displacement after attacks by factions affiliated with Damascus in early January, forcing them to relocate multiple times before reaching areas then held by the SDF.