Holding the hair of a slain warrior and smiling: the disturbing documentation from Syria

Disturbing footage circulating on social media over the past day has sparked a wave of outrage and international condemnation, after it shows a member of an armed group affiliated with the Damascus regime holding a lock of hair of a slain Kurdish female fighter.

In the video, the gunman is seen entering the room smiling, talking mockingly with another fighter and showing off the hair on his hand. According to his words in the clip, the fighter was killed during clashes in the Raqqa area. The gunman is heard saying “This is the hair of the ‘Hubel'”, a Kurdish term that expresses respect and is used to describe a comrade in arms.

When asked by the person filming the scene why he cut her hair, the gunman replied nonchalantly that she was “already dead.” The filmed discourse, which includes sarcastic comments about “only the hair remaining safe”, highlighted the disdain for human life and ignited a storm online.

British lawmaker Bill Ribeiro-Eddie warned in an interview with Rudaw that the Kurds in Rojava face a “huge” threat in the face of increasing military activity. According to him, there is a real danger to human life and everything must be done to ensure that the threat of violence is removed. These things reflect the growing concern of the international community regarding the fate of the fighters and civilians in the area, in the shadow of the difficult documentation coming from the area.