Eastern Syria fighters accused of brutality after videos emerge
The commander of Ahrar al-Sharqiya, an armed faction whose fighters have been accused of extrajudicial killings, spoke to Al-Monitor about his militants' relationship to the eastern Deir ez-Zor region.
GAZIANTEP, Turkey — Ahrar al-Sharqiya, or the Free Men of the East, is a Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) group that has gained a reputation for brutality. The group has attracted attention after Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf was killed at a checkpoint on the M4 highway in northeastern Syria and videos emerged that point to possible war crimes.
The fighters’ appearance, with their long black hair and beards, are reminiscent of what many associate with Islamic State fighters.
Several Deir ez-Zor sources told Al-Monitor that they do not approve of the brutal methods the group has allegedly used but that the crimes of their opponents, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have been ignored.
Ahrar al-Sharqiya commander Abu Hatem Shaqra is notoriously media-averse, but spoke to this reporter multiple times in Whatsapp conversations in early November. He refused to address Khalaf’s killing beyond saying that individuals in “every armed force in the world make mistakes.” Shaqra said he lost men in the fighting.
