The United States Embassy in Syria called on Saturday for accountability for the killing of five Kurdish civilians by militants of Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions in Jindires, northwestern Syria.
After militants of the Islamist Ahrar Al-Sharqiyah faction of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) opened fire on Kurdish civilians celebrating Newroz, killing five and wounding others, thousands of residents of Jindires and surrounding villages took to the streets demanding accountability for the perpetrators and the expulsion of SNA groups from the area.
The US Embassy in Syria said in a tweet that such violence threatens stability in Syria and added: “We urge all parties to halt civilian attacks and call for accountability.”
Meanwhile, Turkish forces released four Kurdish civilians who had been arrested at a checkpoint on their way to Afrin (Efrîn) city to join protests against Ahrar al-Sharqiyah on 25 March. According to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Kurdish civilians were freed on payment of $400 a head.