A drive to recruit Kurds and religious minorities to the Syrian government's General Security Forces in the northern area of Afrin has brought hope and skepticism. Many Kurds were forcibly displaced from the area when it was seized by Turkey and its allied Syrian opposition fighters in 2018 and those who remain have complained of discrimination. The push to recruit ethnic and religious minorities in Afrin comes as the government in Damascus is facing increased scrutiny after outbreaks of sectarian violence in recent months and reports of government-affiliated fighters killing civilians from the Alawite and Druze sects.
