Who killed 'the Jasmine of Syria' ? | Foreign Correspondent

Hevrin was a symbol for all Syrians. She was a symbol of security and peace. She was known as ‘the Jasmine of Syria’, an idealistic young woman who believed in a better future for her war-torn country.

After the Kurds fought and defeated ISIS in north east Syria – with the help of the US - Khalaf joined a grassroots movement that was working to rebuild Syria as a democracy. US troops stayed on in the region to help keep the peace, ensuring that ISIS fighters did not regroup.

Then late last year, Trump made the shock announcement he was pulling US troops out of the region, leaving their former allies, the Kurds, unprotected. Turkey struck immediately, invading north east Syria and attacking the Kurdish forces it labelled as terrorists.

In the days that followed, Hevrin Khalaf and her driver were pulled out of their van on a main road and brutally murdered.

Reporter Yalda Hakim travels into north east Syrian to investigate the deaths of Hevrin and her driver. The killings looked like a political assassination but the Turks denied responsibility. So, who killed Hevrin Khalaf? And why?

Yalda Hakim speaks to Khalaf’s mother and her political colleagues. She interviews a team of volunteers investigating killings. And she speaks to local journalists who are tracking down the identities of militia members who were in the area on the morning of the killing.

The evidence Hakim gathers points to ISIS as being responsible and suggests the return of ISIS so soon after their so-called Caliphate was defeated last year.

"They killed Hevrin to kill her ideas, her legacy and her cause"

Hevrin’s mother Souad
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