Newsbrief: Syrian war crimes caught in brutal phone footage

by Olivia Preston
edited by Chris Bastien

Videos showing violent acts from Turkish-backed forces are seen as evidence of war crimes, according to BBC.

(Photo: BBC – Amera Rena)

The footage displayed gruesome acts towards women and Kurdish corpses in the background. One of the assaulted victims in the videos was Amara Renas, a member of an all-woman unit of Kurdish fighters who played a significant role in defeating IS. The video showed men stomping on her body while calling her demeaning names.

“Bearded men shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ [God is Greatest]. One captured the scene on his smartphone and said: ‘We are mujahideen [holy warriors] from Faylaq Al-Majd [Glory Corps] battalion,'” according to BBC.

The men who posted these videos are fighters for a rebel alliance known as the Syrian National Army who are trained, equipped, and funded by the Turkish forces. US officials said that some of the actions in these videos constitute war crimes and have demanded an explanation from Turkey.

These violent acts towards the Kurds began shortly after President Donald Trump announced the US would pull troops out of Syria. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been a trusted ally of the US and aided in the defeat of IS.

The UN has warned that Turkey could be held responsible for the actions of its allies. Turkey has promised to investigate the alleged war crimes displayed in these videos.