In a decisive move against human rights violations, the U.S. announced sanctions against two Turkish-backed armed factions operating in Syria’s Afrin region, the “Sultan Suleiman Shah Division” and the “Hamza Division”, as well as some of their leading members.
According to the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), these punitive measures are in response to the factions’ “severe human rights abuses” against the local residents in the areas under their control. Additionally, a car sales company owned by one of the militant group leaders has also been sanctioned.
Afrin has been under the grip of a myriad of armed factions, many of which resort to violence to control the movement of goods and people in the territories they hold. Brian Nelson, the Treasury Department’s Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated that this action “demonstrates our unwavering commitment to ensuring accountability for severe human rights violators, including those in Syria.” He emphasized that the U.S. remains committed to supporting the Syrian people’s right to live free from fear of exploitation by armed groups and violent oppression.
Among those sanctioned are the prominent anti-Assad militia, the “Suleiman Shah Brigade”, which is part of the Syrian National Army, an alliance of Syrian rebel factions. The Treasury outlined that this brigade has been responsible for kidnapping, extortion, and specifically targeting Kurdish residents of Afrin. Many of these individuals face harassment, abduction, and other violations, forcing them to abandon their homes or pay significant ransoms for the return of their properties or family members.
Similarly, the “Hamza Brigade”, which operates in northern Syria, is involved in kidnappings, theft, and torture. Victims are often held for ransom and are frequently subjected to sexual assault by the brigade’s fighters.
The sanctions extend to the commander of the “Suleiman Shah Brigade”, Mohammad Hussein al-Jasim, also known as “Abu Amsha”. Under Abu Amsha’s leadership, the brigade has forcibly displaced Kurdish residents, confiscated properties, and directed the kidnapping of local residents, potentially generating tens of millions of dollars annually.
Also under the sanctions is “Al-Safir Auto”, a car trading company based in Istanbul owned by Abu Amsha. Reports suggest that Abu Amsha co-owns the business with the leader of another militant group, “Ahrar al-Sharq”, Ahmad Ihsan Fayyad al-Hays.
Other individuals sanctioned include Mohammad Hussein al-Jasim for his direct involvement in gross human rights violations, his younger brother Walid Hussein al-Jasim, who has a leadership role within the “Suleiman Shah Brigade”, and Seif Bulad Abu Bakr, a commander of the “Hamza Brigade” known to appear in the brigade’s promotional videos.
