ALEPPO, Syria — The city of al-Bab, which is under the control of the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the northeastern Aleppo countryside, witnessed Sept. 23 popular protests demanding that the FSA factions hand them back their property, including their houses, farms and shops, which the factions had seized years ago, when the FSA and the Turkish army took control of the city after expelling the Islamic State (IS) in 2017 as part of Operation Euphrates Shield.

The protesters raised the Syrian revolution flag and photos of a number of FSA leaders whom they accuse of usurping their properties.

One day before the protests, the owners of the usurped properties in al-Bab issued a statement condemning the FSA for failing to return their properties. “We have been waiting for more than five years for you to return to us our usurped homes and properties, but you have not met your promises,” the statement read.

It continued, “If you [FSA leaders] are angry at some media outlets that describe you as militias, why then do you keep in your ranks the perpetrators of heinous acts?"