The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Former IS members the Turkish-backed aal-Hamzat Division” kidnapped citizens and threatened them after their release

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained the testimony of one of the former abductees of the Turkish-backed “Al-Hamzat Division” belonging to the so-called Syrian National Army, in which he disclosed the details of his release and abduction, stressing that “the sponsor who contributed to his release and some other abductees, obtained $60,000 donated yesterday to another person, as the losing trades are targeted, arrested and told that they need a sponsor to be released. This sponsor and another person belonging to al-Jabha al-Shamia share money together”.

According to the source’s testimony, when he told the sponsor that he was dealing with ISIS operatives in “al-Hamzat Devision”, he was arrested and only released by the sponsor.

The source told the SOHR that “one of the elements of the Turkish-backed faction was a person working with a leader in (al-Farouk al-Islami) faction and then became the Emir of the Islamic State in Welayat Homs, as they call it. There also were 3 former members Among the ranks of the al-Hamzat Devision, they have belonged to it for more than a year.”

“They were members of the Islamic State and then moved to Al-Bab and joined the ranks of the Al-Hamzat Devision, and I was kidnapped. When they were exposed, they were dismissed without accountability as if they had sinned and forgiven. We still receive threats from this gang while we are in Turkish territory,” the source added.