MORE than 160 women and girls have been kidnapped by Turkish-backed jihadists since the invasion of Afrin, northern Syria, in 2018, according to a report released by the Missing Afrin Women Project today.

According to the report, which draws on reports from media and human rights organisations, the women are subjected to torture and sexual violence after being accused of working with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

This includes participating and voting in elections held in the semi-autonomous region known as Rojava and documenting information about the situation in Afrin or sharing such information with outside sources.