ALBAWABA - A video which believed to show two Kurdish women taken as "gifts" by the Syrian government forces amid the latest clashes with Kurdish groups in Syria has sparked wide controversy online.
In the clip, which spread on January 18, the two women were identified as SDF-allied fighters from the Sharvan unit, and they were held by Syrian forces during clashes in the Euphrates region, according to Kurdish media.
The video showed two women, who were said to be SDF fighters inside a car along with a Syrian forces member, who was heard sending a message to a person called "Abu Mojahid" saying that these girls are "gifts".
He was heard saying, "Abu Mojahid, this is the best gift for you." Then he asked the two women about their names, the first said "Lareen" and the second said her name is "Manar". The man then forced one of the women to say hi to her "Uncle Mojahid".
An X user posted the footage and wrote, "The terrorist gangs of Al-Julani, after taking control of the Jazeera region, are capturing Kurdish women and saying that they will present them as captives as a gift to their leader."
Another said, "Forces loyal to Al-Julani in Syria are reportedly abducting Kurdish girls, handing them over to commanders."
This comes as Syrian government forces, under new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, captured Raqqa and other regions from the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), followed by a January 19 ceasefire deal for SDF's withdrawal east of the Euphrates.
Many social media activists were angered by the clip, expressing their fear that the Islamic State's rule would resume in the country espically after several videos following the collapse of the Assad regime showed al-Sharaa members distributing posters calling women that modesty in dress is important.
