Abu Amshah, the commander of the Turkish-backed Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade
On August 24, dozens of civilians and Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters protested in the northern Syrian city of Afrin to demand prosecution of “Abu Amshah,” the commander of the Turkish-backed Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, who was accused of raping a local woman, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
A day earlier, the victim “Isra’a Yusuf al-Khalil,” who is married to a fighter of the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, released a video in which she accused Abu Amshah of raping her three times. According to Isra’a, Abu Amshah threatened that he will execute her husband if she tells anyone about his crime.
Following the protests, the general command of the Turkish-backed “National Army” ordered an investigation into the alleged rape of Isra’a by Abu Amshah. However, local activists viewed the investigation as an attempt to calm down the public opinion and doubted that the commander will be interrogated.
Since its capture by the Turkish military and its proxies, the area of Afrin have been witnessing a wave of crimes that targeted everyone, including fighters of the Turkish-backed FSA. However, Turkey is yet to take any measures to face the deteriorating security situation in the area.
