Five years have now passed since Turkey and its Syrian proxies launched their third operation in Northern Syria, invading and occupying the cities of Ras al-Ayn and Tal Abyad. 

The attack upended the status quo in Syria, both renewing warfare in a region still recovering from ISIS and Al-Nusra occupation, and also creating a global diplomatic crisis, with the US heavily sanctioning Turkish military and government institutions, but also withdrawing troops in the face of Turkish threats. 

After a month and half of intense combat, and the full occupations of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn, The Syrian Democratic Forces and Turkey agreed to separate ceasefire deals organized by Russia and the United States respectively. 

While this ended territorial shifts on the ground, fighting has continued, with Turkish drone and artillery attacks a frequent occurrence near the front-lines, especially around the towns of Ayn Issa and Tal Tamr, which have become front-line cities again, years after their liberation from ISIS. Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn, which were liberated from Al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorists as well, have lost the sense of safety and security that existed under control of the SDF. Turkish-backed militias frequently fight each other over control of territory and resources, and those who did not flee are often detained, and sometimes even sent to Turkey to be imprisoned on flimsy charges of “working for the Autonomous Administration” or “affiliation with YPG.” 

The Washukani Camp is home to tens of thousands of displaced persons, mostly from Ras al-Ayn.

Approximately 300,000 residents of the region fled the Turkish offensive, and have since become internally displaced, residing mostly in IDP camps, such as the Washukani Camp in Hasakah. The population of North-East Syria is now thought to be at least 50% internally displaced persons. Conditions in these camps are increasingly difficult as funds for Syria from international organizations have dried up, and Turkish airstrikes have largely destroyed the region’s infrastructure.

The Autonomous Administration marked the anniversary of the occupation by stating it would not forget Ras al-Ayn and Tal Abyad or the people of those cities, and that it would continue to press for an end to the occupation and the return of the displaced persons.