According to Kurdistan Press, the Turkish army withdrew from the villages of "Basel" and "Chieh" in the Afrin region of Syrian Kurdistan after eight years of military presence. These two villages had been used as military bases by Turkish forces since 2018, and during this time, residents were not allowed to return to them.“Mohammad Hassan Haidar Meqdad,” the village head of Bassel, announced in an interview with Rudaw that Turkish forces had left these two villages yesterday, but were still present in three other villages in the region.

Referring to the village’s disorganized state after years of occupation, he said: “Before 2018, Bassel had about 400 houses and was considered one of the most prosperous villages in the region, but after the occupation, many houses were looted or destroyed, and extensive damage was caused to the infrastructure and property of the residents.

The village head of Bassel added: “So far, about 30 families have returned to their homes and are cleaning and preparing their homes, and it is expected that the number of returning families will reach nearly 50 in the future, and then increase to about 100 families.»

Muhammad Hassan also reported a severe lack of public services in the village, saying that Bassel is currently deprived of drinking water and electricity, which has made the lives of returnees very difficult.

He called on local authorities, the Syrian interim government, and especially aid agencies to provide the necessary support for the reconstruction of the village and the provision of the basic needs of the residents.

In this regard, a meeting is scheduled to be held in the German city of Bonn on August 2nd to gather support for the reconstruction of Bassel. The meeting will be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. local time, and its goal is to attract aid and coordinate the reconstruction of the village.

According to the report, after the agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian interim government, the process of returning Afrin refugees to their areas has accelerated.So far, about 11,000 Afrin families who lived in the Jazira and Kobani areas have returned to their towns and villages in the Afrin region.