An unexpected welcome: Syrian Kurds return to their homes in Afrin

Afrin, Syria – When Dilshad Hamdo walked into the home his father built 30 years ago, there was no place to sit. The stone walls were intact, but the rooms had been stripped bare. Yet, standing in the empty space, there was still a strong sense of relief at being back home.“I have a lot of memories in this house with my extended family. There is nothing like the house and the land,” Hamdo told Al Jazeera.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Syria’s president appoints ex-commander of Kurdish-led SDF as advisorlist 2 of 4As SDF disband in Syria, Kurds ponder how to secure their rightslist 3 of 4Syria abolishes al-Assad-era ‘terrorism’ court as Kurdish tensions flarelist 4 of 4Syrian army offensive overjoys some, leaves others with ‘existential’ fearend of listHamdo fled Afrin as a young man in early 2018, during a Turkish-led military offensive, dubbed “Operation Olive Branch”, against the Kurdish-dominated People’s Protection Units (YPG) of the Syrian Democratic Forces.In the ensuing chaos, tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds were displaced. Vacant properties across Afrin were soon occupied by other displaced Syrians, most of them Arabs fleeing the intense Syrian government b...