A first group of Syrian Kurds were headed for the northeastern border town of Ras al-Ain on Monday following years of displacement, months after an integration deal between the Kurds and Damascus.
The January agreement on merging Kurdish forces and civil institutions into the state included the return of displaced Kurds but residents of Ras al-Ain had still been waiting, prompting appeals to authorities for assistance.
Tens of thousands of Kurds were displaced when Türkiye and allied Syrian fighters seized an Arab-majority strip of territory along the Turkish border, including Ras al-Ain, from Kurdish control in 2019 during Syria's civil war.
Jawan Isso, from a committee representing displaced people from Ras al-Ain, told AFP that a "first batch" of some 2,500 people were headed home on Monday.
"This step is the result of efforts by all sides and ongoing coordination" between the Damascus and Kurdish authorities, he said, adding that "the second batch will be transferred in the coming days".
An AFP correspondent saw dozens of trucks loaded with furniture and other belongings waiting to set off from near the city of Hasakeh, with men, women and children eager to depart.
"I've been waiting for this moment... it's like a dream for a person to return to their home," said returnee Nora Khodor, 37.
"I'm happy for an end to this suffering," she told AFP.
Some of the fighters subsequently settled in the area with their families, with some reportedly still living in Ras al-Ain, a formerly ethnically-mixed region in Syria's northeast known as Sari Kani in Kurdish.
Türkiye launched successive cross-border offensives against Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria before the new Syrian =authorities ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
The new authorities have been extending central government control across the country, including formerly Kurdish-held areas.
"We are very happy about returning," said Rawda Mohammed, 39.
"I asked about my home. They told me it is totally destroyed, but we did not get pessimistic because we're happy to return, and when we get there, we'll see what we can do," she added.
Some 5.5 million people remain internally displaced in Syria following the more than 13-year civil war, according to the United Nations.
The committee representing displaced people from Ras al-Ain said Monday's transfer was "the start of a path towards a full return", emphasizing the need to protect property, housing and land rights" and provide basic services and infrastructure for returnees.
