The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria destroyed or damaged at least 140 private buildings housing 147 families in January and February 2022 while trying to capture fleeing detainees and Islamic State (ISIS) fighters who attacked a nearby prison, Human Rights Watch said today. Witnesses said the SDF used bulldozers to demolish houses in al-Hasakah city’s East Ghweran and al-Zuhour neighborhoods.
Witnesses and a United Nations investigative committee said that ISIS fighters had entered homes during the military operation, and the SDF told Human Rights Watch that it detonated ISIS-placed explosives during its search operations.
Between February 2 and June 20, Human Rights Watch interviewed 18 people from the Ghweran neighborhood by telephone who said that the SDF's operations had destroyed their homes. A survey by local activists carried out in the city and nearby villages concluded that the
operation resulted in the destruction of, or damage to, 140 buildings between January 21 and February 11.
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