Türkiye Eliminates PKK Official Behind 2020 Car bombing in Afrin

07:24-16 July 2023 AD ـ 28 Thul-Hijjah 1444 AH

Türkiye Eliminates PKK Official Behind 2020 Car bombing in Afrin

Turkish intelligence has eliminated senior official from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the biggest component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Manbij, in an operation northern Syria.

It said the member was responsible for the 2020 car-bombing in Afrin, which killed 40 and injured dozens.

Heysem Cuma, codenamed Heysem Abu Dahham, was operating in Manbij, the Anadolu Agency said quoting sources.

Cuma also transferred arms to attack Türkiye's zones in northern Syria, primarily the Euphrates Shield Operation Zone, said the sources on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The figure was eliminated by the Turkish intelligence on July 9 in an operation in the city center of Manbij.

Also, Cuma was responsible for several bomb attacks in Jarablus in 2019 as well as the 2020 car-bombing in which left 40 civilians dead, including 11 children, and 47 people injured.

After the car bombing, the governor's office in Türkiye's Hatay province, bordering Afrin, said it arrested a person suspected to be behind the fuel truck.

Meanwhile, pro-Turkish factions brought in massive military reinforcement to Afrin, amid a state of high security alert in the city and countryside.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said “Al-Hamzah” and “Suleiman Shah” divisions, in addition to “Ahrar Al-Sham Islamic Movement” brought in huge military columns of heavy weapons, tanks, rocket launchers and 4×4 vehicles with submachine guns, amid a state of high alert in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-held area.

In Aleppo, SOHR sources said Turkish forces brought in a new military convoy of military and logistic vehicles, armored vehicles and personnel carriers escorted with members.

The convoy crossed through Kafar Lousin border crossing with the Turkish side and headed towards the Turkish posts in the western countryside of Aleppo, within the “Putin-Erdogan” area.

The Turkish military reinforcements came after SDF escalated their attacks on Turkish military positions in Syria.

The shelling coincided with Russian aircrafts flying over the region. No causalities were reported.

Returnees to Lebanon's Baalbek Plan to Live in Tents Over Home Rubble

Residents check their destroyed neighborhood in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Baalbek: Hussein Darwish

09:27-28 November 2024 AD ـ 27 Jumada Al-Ula 1446 AH

Baalbek: Hussein Darwish

09:27-28 November 2024 AD ـ 27 Jumada Al-Ula 1446 AH

Returnees to Lebanon's Baalbek Plan to Live in Tents Over Home Rubble

Residents check their destroyed neighborhood in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Families from Lebanon’s Deir al-Ahmar and nearby villages celebrated the start of a ceasefire, which allowed them to return home. Packing their belongings quickly into cars, they left behind the hardship of displacement.

“The journey was exhausting... it’s time to leave this nightmare behind,” one returnee said.

Intense bombardment in Baalbek and surrounding areas had forced hundreds to flee their homes, seeking refuge in Christian and Sunni villages in northern Bekaa.

These host communities welcomed them, putting aside political differences. Now, the returning families express heartfelt gratitude for the hospitality they received.

Suleiman, one of the first returnees, said: “We didn’t want to burden our hosts any longer.”

He explained that families in shelters were starting to pack up for their journey home.

“We returned early, leaving some belongings behind in Shlifa. We’ll go back later to collect them and thank our hosts for their kindness,” he added.

The road to Deir al-Ahmar was packed early Wednesday with families heading home. Cars loaded with mattresses, children, and belongings filled the streets. For many, returning is the priority, even if their homes are damaged.

“I found my house destroyed,” said Mohamed, who had been sheltering in Yammouneh.

“I’ll set up a tent over the rubble and live there, even in the cold.”

Others shared the same plan, determined to stay close to their homes, even if it means pitching tents or staying with neighbors and relatives.

Deir al-Ahmar had hosted thousands of displaced people, offering homes and shelters free of charge. Around 12,000 stayed in local shelters, while nearby towns like Qaa, Ras Baalbek, and Arsal took in tens of thousands more.

Some families are also returning from Tripoli, where they fled during the escalation in late September. Mohamed Faitrouni, a driver from northern Bekaa, was thrilled to reunite with his family.

“My wife packed what she could the moment the ceasefire was announced,” he said.

“I’m grateful to the people of Qobbeh, who sheltered my family of eight. Nothing compares to the peace and safety of being home,” added Faitrouni.

Faitrouni is eager to reunite with his family, whom he hasn’t seen since October 4.

“My family is on its way back to Baalbek, and the real joy will be seeing my relatives and children again after more than a month,” he said.

He had to leave Baalbek when his neighbor’s house was destroyed. To keep his family safe from the cold, he rented a modest home in Qobbeh for $300 a month.

“I had to find a safe place to protect my family from the winter,” Faitrouni said.

Türkiye Eliminates PKK Official Behind 2020 Car bombing in Afrin