Elizabeth TsurkovVerified account

The fighters were allowed to loot offices of local admin & capture materiel left behind by the SDF, but attempted to limit looting of private property by setting up checkpoints. "But no one can stop the mighty Syrian people," jokingly said a fighter deployed in Tel Abyad.

Fighters are breaking into homes and stealing valuables. If locals did not flee, they are threatened at gunpoint to hand over property. Fighters often accuse those whom they're robbing of having ties to the PYD/YPG, even though those individuals fled during the offensive.

Some fighters are attempting to prevent looting & return property to their owners. Still, a lot has been stolen. A fighter with the Levant Front told me "many of those who joined the [Turkish-backed] factions did so for the war spoils & money"

In both previous Turkish-led operations relying on their Syrian factions, Syrian fighters engaged in extensive pillaging. While this looting was extensively documented in Efrin (2018) & al-Bab ("Euphrates Shield Operation," 2016), this time it's been harder to confirm.

Turkey has only allowed state-owned Turkish and Qatari media, as well as Syrian media activists linked to factions or loyalist outlets to enter the area. Even Syrian opposition outlets not hostile to Turkey but with a professional reputation weren't allowed in.

In the 2016 offensive, fighters filmed themselves looting, but following the bruhaha about videos showing extremist chants & field executions, the factions began punishing such media releases. Locals are also often terrified to speak to media on abuses of those ruling them

For years, I've been speaking to multiple people living under the control of these factions, where lawlessness prevails. While extremist chants got much attention, these fighters are much more roving bandits than ideologues. More in my forthcoming @NYRDaily piece.