QAMISHLI, Syria — Aslan Brim Sino, a Kurd, was killed July 3 in a prison in northwestern Syria, in the countryside of the city of Afrin. The prison was run by al-Moutasem Brigade, a pro-Turkey Islamic faction. Sino had been detained by al-Moutasem Brigades for 10 months, though he had originally been kidnapped ​in the village of Baadalni by another Islamic faction, Ahfad al-Rasoul, in July 2018. When his family failed to provide the $5,000 ransom, Sino was turned over to al-Moutasem Brigade, which now refuses to return the body to his family.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that 2,038 Afrin residents have been detained by Turkish forces and supporting factions since last year.

On June 24, SOHR reported that the body of a Kurdish national, Rashid Khalil, was discovered in the countryside of Afrin. He was subjected to torture and burns and dumped near the village of Qastal Jendo in Sharran. The monitoring group said armed men in Ezzaz, in the northern Aleppo countryside, had abducted Khalil and killed him, along with his 11-year-old disabled child Mohammad Rashid Khalil. The men demanded a ransom of $100,000 for each in exchange for their release. The body of the child was not discovered.

Al-Monitor met with Radwan Khalil, the former public relations officer for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Factions kidnapped Khalil on the outskirts of Manbij a year ago, by the Sajur River. The area is affiliated with the armed Syrian opposition that is backed by Turkey.