Background: Sarkaniye came under the control of the Turkish armed forces and the mercenaries of the Syrian National Army (SNA) after the "Peace Spring" operation in October 2019. The 2019 offensive displaced over 150,000 to 200,000 original residents, mostly ethnic Kurds. Turkish-backed mercenaries then facilitated the settlement of Arab settlers from other parts of Syria into the vacated homes left behind by Kurdish residents.