Afrin Liberation Forces

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Afrin Liberation Forces
Hêzên Rizgariya Efrînê
Dates of operation2018–present
Split from People's Protection Units (presumably)
Country Syria
MotivesKurdish nationalism
Separatism
Minority rights
Anti-imperialism
Anti-Turkish sentiment
Active regionsAleppo Governorate
SizeSeveral thousand[1]
Allies
Opponents
Battles and wars

The Afrin Liberation Forces (ALF) (Kurdish: Hêzên Rizgariya Efrînê, HRE), also known as Tahrir Afrin Forces is a Kurdish insurgent group, which was founded in the aftermath of Operation Olive Branch and the subsequent fall of Afrin to the Syrian National Army (SNA) and Turkish Armed Forces (TAF). The group is mainly located in the Aleppo Governorate of Syria, where it imposes guerilla tactics such as infiltrations, roadside bombs, booby-traps, and assasinations on positions and members of the SNA, TAF and other groups affiliated with the Turkish occupation of northern Syria.[1][2]

History

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Main article: SDF insurgency in northern Syria

Founding in 2018

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On September 18, 2018, the group carried out two operations in Afrin, which resulted in the death of a Turkish soldier.[3] This was the group's first operation against the Turkish army, which, according to its official website, also marks the date of its founding.[1]

On 21 December, the HRE released a press statement laying out the group's goals; the group stated that they would seek to end the "occupation of their areas" and that they would carry out operations as part of a "justified war" until the region is "liberated". The statement also claimed responsibility for two attacks: one on 18 December involving the detonation of an improvised explosive device (IED) against Turkish soldiers, claiming as many as six men had been injured and killed, and another detonation of an IED on the same date, on forces of the Hamza Division.[4]

2019

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On January 21, 2019, the group attacked heavy construction equipment that the Turkish military had used to dig tunnels in Mare'.[5] On April 20, the group claimed to have carried out a series of operations against the Turkish occupation in the villages of Meryamin and Vilat al-Qadi, in addition to the village of Kimara, where more than 6 soldiers were killed.[6]

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that by 21 March 2019, a total of 613 SNA fighters had been killed, including 447 by March 2018. This indicates that 166 SNA members were killed during this period of the Afrin insurgency, in which the HRE was a key belligerent.[7][8]

On 4 August, the HRE claimed responsibility for two attacks in northern Aleppo. The first targeted the positions of Sunni Islamist militants of Ahrar al-Sham and Suqur al-Sham in the village of Abla near Mare', reportedly killing eight fighters and wounding four, with weapons and documents seized. The second operation, in Hizwan near Al-Bab, targeted Firqat al-Hamza, leaving three fighters dead and three others injured. On the same day, an IED killed a commander of Ahrar al-Sham, Hussein al-Amin.[9]

2020

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In April 2020, the HRE said in a statement, that it killed seven SNA gunmen and a Turkish soldier, and also claimed the destruction of two military vehicles.[10]

In the period between 5 and 11 May, the group claimed to have killed at least six SNA militants and Turkish soldiers in addition to injuring multiple in various assaults, while also destroying a vehicle. A video of two of the attacks was released, in which the HRE utilised anti-tank guided missiles.[11][12]

On 28 May, the group claimed to have killed nine SNA militants.[13]

On 19 June, the HRE claimed to have killed 14 "Muslim Brotherhood militants" (in reference to SNA militias), while a number of others were wounded. The HRE also released a video in which they displayed weapons which they seized during the operation, including four AK-47s , one PKM with ammunition, one RPG-7, one Zbrojovka Brno rifle, and 1 thermal weapon sight.[14]

2021

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In May 2021, HRE forces claimed to have killed and wounded 11 Turkish soldiers and affiliated militants.[15]

On 3 June, the HRE released a video, in which they displayed their attack on SNA militias in the village of Bosufan, Afrin. The attack was carried out using a 9M113 Konkurs anti-tank missile.[16]

On 2 September, Hawar News Agency, affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), reported that the HRE claimed responsibility for killing 11 SNA fighters in a series of coordinated day and night operations targeting military positions along the contact line.[17]

On 12 September, the HRE released footage of a night raid on an SNA position, conducted using night-vision devices and other specialized equipment. The attack resulted in several SNA fighters being wounded at close range, while the assailants seized light weapons from the site before withdrawing.[17]

2022

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Between 12 and 17 May, the HRE conducted operations against Turkey-allied groups.[18]

2023

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On 18 September 2023, the SOHR reported that the HRE carried out a major operation on the outskirts of Al-Bab. With artillery support, the group infiltrated the area, killing at least 14 pro-Turkish fighters of Ahrar al-Sham, while wounding several others.[19] The HRE confirmed the account of the SOHR but also claimed to have killed 15 instead of 14 militants.[20]

2024

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On 3 August 2024, at least five Turkish-backed militants were killed in an infiltration operation by HRE forces near the city of Afrin, according to the SOHR.[21]

The group carried out operations between September 9 and October 9, allegedly resulting in the death of 24 SNA militants, including two Turkish soldiers, and the wounding of 13 others.[22]

Turkey-based Bianet reported on 25 November, that heavy fighting erupted between the Sham Front and the Afrin Liberation Forces. Two Sham Front militants were killed, and two others injured.[23]

On 27 November, the Sunni Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a major offensive on Aleppo, which ultimately led to the collapse of the Assad regime. At the same time, allied SNA and Turkish forces began Operation Dawn of Freedom, aimed at expelling the remaining encircled Kurdish forces, including the HRE, from Tell Rifaat and the wider Shahba region. The operation resulted in intense clashes between HRE and SNA units.[24] With support of an SDF corridor along the Aleppo and Dayr Hafir axis, HRE and other Kurdish groups were able to withdraw to AANES territory and the Kurdish-held neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud in Aleppo city.[25]

2025

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On 6 October, the group was invovled in clashes with the Syrian Transitional Government in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood of Aleppo.[26]

Relations to the SDF

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While the HRE does not explicitly claim affiliation with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) or the SDF, it operated for a long time from territories under SDF control in Shahba Canton. Given their level of training, professionalism, and sophisticated infiltration equipment, it is highly likely that many of its members are former YPG fighters.[25][17] Voice of America says the HRE is "made up of the sons and daughters of Afrin."[1]

Turkey regards the HRE as both an extension of the SDF and a terrorist organization.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Hêzên Rizgarîya Efrînê Bîlançoya Çalakîyên Xwe Eşkere Dike" [Afrin Liberation Forces Reveal the Balance Sheet of Their Activities]. Voice of America (in Kurdish). 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  2. ^ "After mediation by "Manbij Military Council" - Turkish-backed factions and "Tahrir Afrin Forces" swap prisoners and bodies of combatants in eastern Aleppo". The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 2024-04-20. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  3. ^ "Afrin Liberation Forces carried out 2 operations in Afrin - ANHA | Ajansa Nûçeyan a Hawar". www.hawarnews.com. Archived from the original on 2018-12-24. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  4. ^ "Afrin Liberation Forces carried out 2 operations in Afrin". Hawar News. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  5. ^ "Afrin Liberation Forces hit invaders in Mare". ANF News. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  6. ^ English (2019-04-20). "Afrin Liberation Forces killed 6 soldiers of Turkish occupation and destroyed 1 tank". Democratic Union Party (PYD). Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  7. ^ "On the eve of Nowruz festivals…Afrin witnesses arrests against its residents by the factions of "Olive Branch" on charge of celebrating and setting fire in the festival's anniversary". The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  8. ^ "بعد السيطرة على كامل منطقة عفرين...معارك عنيفة تندلع بين قوات عملية "غصن الزيتون" والمسلحين الموالين للنظام في ريف حلب الشمالي" [After taking control of the entire Afrin region, fierce fighting erupted between Operation Olive Branch forces and pro-regime militants in the northern Aleppo countryside.]. المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (in Arabic). 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  9. ^ "Syrian War Daily – 5th of August 2019". Syrian War Daily. 2019-08-05. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  10. ^ ""Afrin Liberation Forces" announces the killing of 7 armed men and a soldier of the occupation". Afrinpost-English. 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  11. ^ "HRE: Two soldiers and two mercenaries killed in Afrin". ANF News. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  12. ^ ""Afrin Liberation Forces" carries out a series of operations against the occupation gunmen". Afrinpost-English. 2020-05-12. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  13. ^ "At least 9 killed as HRE hit occupiers in three regions". ANF News. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  14. ^ "بالفيديو: قوات تحرير عفرين تقضي على 14 مسلحاً في عملية واحدة بناحية شيراوا". AfrinpostArabic (in Arabic). 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  15. ^ "11 Turkish soldiers and TOS's militants killed and wounded as a result of "Afrin liberation forces" operations". Afrinpost-English. 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  16. ^ "Syria - New anti-tank missile attack on Syrian mercenaries in Turkey". DEFENCE ReDEFiNED. 2021-06-07. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  17. ^ a b c "SDF's war tactics against Syrian National Army". Enab Baladi. 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  18. ^ "Efrin women: HRE is our hope for the liberation of Afrin". Rojnameya Ronahî. 2022-05-29. Archived from the original on 2022-06-03. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  19. ^ "Kurdish Afrin Liberation Forces kill 14 pro-Turkish fighters in northern Syria - report". i24NEWS. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  20. ^ "Afrin Liberation Forces Neutralize 15 SNA Militants in Al-Bab". Afrinpost-English. 2023-09-19. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  21. ^ "Kurdish forces kill five Turkish-backed militants in Afrin: Monitor". Rudaw. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  22. ^ "24 invaders killed in retaliatory actions by Afrin Liberation Forces". ANF News. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  23. ^ "Tensions rise between Turkish-backed factions, Kurdish forces in northern Syria". Bianet. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  24. ^ ANHA (2024-12-01). "Violent clashes between HRE and Turkish occupation mercenaries in several axes". ANHA. Archived from the original on 2025-09-27. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  25. ^ a b Nelson, Mateo (2024-12-03). "Afrin's displaced torn between another exile and danger in northern Aleppo". Syria Direct. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  26. ^ "Afrin Liberation Forces are currently operating in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods against HTS terrorists. Video recorded by an ALF fighter". Kurdish Front News on Telegram. 6 October 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.