Afrin under occupation (139)

التقرير الاسبوعي ـ عفرين تحت الاحتلال ـ 139

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Afrin under occupation (139):

Violations and crimes in Kafar Safra, killing of a child and a civilian, arbitrary arrests, ransoms, and detention of tractors

In confirmation of the militant and active religious movement in the Afrin region, which is led by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Turkish “Waqf Diyanet”, a video clip was recently published in which a group of people appeared in “Horsh Al-Zaydiya”  camp in Afrin, on 3/29/2021 AD, declaring by the name of “the office Displaced people from Idlib and its countryside in the city of Afrin” that “the Takaful association- Austria” answered the call for the reconstruction of the “Bin Thabit Mosque” in the camp, so that in addition of cutting down a large part of the forest and gnawing its land, a European charity participates in activities targeting the region’s culture and identity.

Among the ongoing violations and crimes:

= The town of Kafar Safra:

It is located 5 km north of Jenderes city, overlooking a vast plain of olive fields, the number of its families before the occupation was / 1200 /, all of them were displaced due to the aggression on the area in the first quarter of 2018, and only / 400 / families returned as a result of the closure of the crossings in the area and preventing some of the people from returning to their homes on the pretext of the presence of mines and dead bodies. 

About / 400 / families of the recruited people have been resettled in the seized houses.

It was bombed several times during the war, so more than ten houses were completely destroyed, including (Ahmed Haj Rashid, Khalil Polo, Muhammad Jumah Kadro, Rasho Hamo Daraj, Hussein Muhammad Hasanu, Dayan Othman, Muhammad Haj Rashid, Khalil Khilo, Nabi Rasho, Muhyiddin Haj Abdo, and Hussein Akash), in addition to other houses that sustained various damages.

During the invasion, the militias stole most of the home contents, including supplies, copper utensils, electrical equipment, etc., as well as some agricultural machinery and cars.

Victims and martyrs:

– “Muhammad Kadro (Abu Azad)”, a member of the Asayish forces, upon his return from Afrin in order to break the siege on his daughter, Rohinda, who fought in the ranks of the YPJ Women Protection Units, so they were martyred together in the town, in March 2018.

– “Hanan Muhammad Rasulo,” with Turkish shelling on the village of Amara – Shara on May 3, 2018.

– “Ibrahim Bashir Hassou,” a self-defense member, who was bombed by Turkish warplanes.

– “Hussein Battal Shaheen, Avin Mustafa Khilou,” by the Turkish warplanes bombing a civilian convoy in the Mahmoudiya neighborhood of Afrin, mid-March 2018.

– The child, “Abd al-Rahman Othman Abdo,” when a landmine exploded in the town.

– “Muhammad Othman Khlo”, as a result of the explosion of a landmine with his agricultural tractor.

– “Muhammad Muhammad Amin Hassan,” as a result of torture by gunmen.

The militias controlling the village are “Samarkand Brigade” militia affiliated with the “Waqqas Brigade”, and it takes the houses of: the late Dr. Khalil Muhammad Murad, engineer Jalal Muhammad Murad, Sharaf al-Din Khalil Murad as its headquarters, accompanied by the Turkish army, as well as the house of “Murad Rashid Mahmoud” as a Military headquarter, and the building of the tomb of the martyr Sido in the shrine of Sheikh Muhammad as a prison.

The remaining residents of the town were subjected to various types of violations, including arrest, kidnapping, torture and others, affecting some women as well, under false pretenses and charges.

The militias also impose royalties on olive seasons, amounting to 15% of production, and seized more than / 20 / thousand olive trees belonging to the absentees. 

Ten days ago: they seized / 3700 / trees belonging to “Rashid Khurshid Ibish” a week after his death, leaving for his elderly wife only / 50 / Trees, 

/ 1200 / for “Murad Rashid Khorshid”, 

/ 1700 / for “Fidan Haji Abdo, wife of lawyer Khalil”, 

/ 850 / for “Muhammad Hanan Mejhem”, 

and for Murad Agha Haj Abdo’s children: (/ 1050 / for Rashid / 900 / for Muhammad, / 1350 / for Abd al-Hanan), 

/ 4000 / for Dr. Khalil Hussein Hajj Abdo, 

/ 1050 / for Jamal Muhammad Haj Abdo, 

/ 1200 / for Muhammad Khalil Polo, 

/ 700 / for Khalil Ahmad Haji, 

/ 1000 / for Haji Ahmad Haji, 

/ 500 / for “Aziz Khalou, 

/ 1425 / for “Hussein Abdullah Haj Abdo” 

and the fields of “Barzani Khalil Murad” were returned after he paid a ransom of 5000 $.

As for those threatened with seizure of their property, they are:

– “Almaz Muhammad Ali / 80 / years old” who lives in the town alone, and was forced to settle an immigrant family in her home.

– “Gule Haji Abdo,” wife of the late Abdullah Hussein Haj Abdo, they seized 1150 olive trees from her properties if their children did not return from Aleppo.

– Engineer Akram Rashid Mahmoud’s wife in case her children do not return from Aleppo.

As for the agricultural tractors in the town, the militias forced their owners to pay $ 200 / dollars as a fine for each one, in addition to forcing the tractor owners in the town and in the villages of Gora, Miske, Chubonu, and Gordu to plow the lands of the seized olive fields.

Also, the Turkish occupation forces, accompanied by the gunmen, destroyed the “martyr Sido” cemetery next to the “Sheikh Muhammad” shrine – north of the town, as well as destroying the tombstones of some graves of the dead.

Most of the mountains surrounding the town were set on fire (Sheikh Muhammad, Kharabi Sheikh, Qaziqli), as well as the illegal cutting of forests and olive trees in order to log and sell wood, which led to the degradation of the forests.

Three days ago, the “Samarkand Brigade” expelled the citizen “Abd al-Hamid Junaid” and his family from the outskirts of the southern countryside of Aleppo, after he was beaten and insulted, due to his filing a complaint against the battalion about its seizure of the town’s property.

= Killing:

– On Monday afternoon 4/4/2021 AD, the child “Murad Mazloum Muhammad / 6 / years” from the village of “Agjaleh” – Jenderes in the Ashrafieh neighborhood of Afrin city was martyred as a result of colliding with a speeding military vehicle that fled without his family being able to file a complaint, or to organize an arrest warrant of the incident, where the victim’s body was buried in the cemetery of his relatives, “Kafardale Tahtani” – Mabata, Because of the imposition of a quarantine on his village “Agjaleh”.

– The citizen “Mahmoud Ahmed son of Ahmed and Azizia / 38 / years” from the Al-Bubanah clan – the Arab component, died on 4/4/2021 AD, in a Turkish hospital, succumbing to severe wounds he sustained, as a result of his car exploding with an explosive device implanted in it, Thursday morning on 1/4/2021, in a secondary street in front of the villas in the south, Afrin.

= Arbitrary arrests:

The occupation authorities have arrested:

– Citizen Masoud Ahmed Othman / 25 / years old, from the village of Haj Khalil – Rajo, more than two months ago, because he had recited patriotic poems in the village square on one of the occasions during the previous Autonomous Administration, and he was taken to Marate Prison in Afrin.

– Citizens “Riad Ali Saif Al-Din / 35 / years, Jammo Salih Jammo / 22 / years” in the village of Basufan – Sherawa, on 3/31/2021 AD. 

The first was released at the end of last week and the second today. The citizen “Tayseer Jammo” from the same village was arrested on 3/21/2021, and he is still in detention.

– Citizen Hassan Sheikho son of Arifo / 35 / years old, from the village of Qibar, on 4/4/2021 AD, by the checkpoint opposite the village at the entrance to Afrin, on charges of dealing with the previous Autonomous Administration, and he was released on Tuesday evening 6/4 / 2021 AD.

– Citizen Muhammad Mestu Kakajj / 50 / years old, from the village of Upelo – Bulbul, on 4/4/2021 AD, while he was on his way to Afrin, on charges of participating in night watch during the previous Autonomous Administration, and he was released after two days and fined one thousand Turkish lira.

– The electrical engineer, Amir Mustafa Jenji / 27 / years old, from the village of Marate, on 5/4/2021 AD, while he was passing through the Military Trend checkpoint – the entrance to Afrin, traveling on a bus to the “Shafak Association” in which he works, accused of the relationship with the previous Autonomous Administration.

On the other hand, on 4/3/2021 AD, it released the citizen “Khalil Hassan son of Hassan / 33 / years old” from the village of “Araba” – Mabata, who was arrested in April 2018 and forcibly disappeared in Al-Ra’i prison – Al-Bab, until his transfer to Marate was imprisoned in Afrin three months ago. 

Citizen “Walat Tash son of Hassan” is still hidden in al-Ra’i prison, who was arrested with / 7 / others from the same village and they were released in succession months ago.

= Other violations:

– In the context of its persistent harassment of the people of the villages of “Gamruk and Arab Shekho” – Mabata / Mabatli, the oldest leader of the militia of the “Northern Falcons Brigade” -called Ahmad Ghoyan (Abu Abdo)- detained on Thursday afternoon 3/8/2021 AD and for the next day / 61 / Agricultural tractors belonging to villagers, given that one of them refused to work for him in forced labor; Note that these militias seized about / 13 / thousand olive trees from the property of “Gamruk” during its occupation, and imposed their service on the villagers with forced labor, and this year they collected more than 10 million Syrian pounds from them for the service and expenses of those seized trees.

– The militias of “Ahrar Al-Sharqiya” in the villages of “Miske Fawqani, Miske Tahtani, Khultu” imposed / 10 / thousand SYP on each Kurdish family, and imposed the payment of / 2500 / SYP for each food basket that it delivered to its due, under the pretext that the salaries of its members unpaid.

= Due to a dispute over the seized lands, on 4/4/2021, clashes took place between the militias of “Ahrar al-Sham,” “Ahrar al-Sharqiya,” and “the 23rd Battalion,” near the site of “Al-Rifatiya” – the eastern entrance to Jenderes.

= A video clip was recently published in which a group of agents were standing in front of the Turkish headquarters in the fortified old Serail building in the center of Afrin, confirming their affiliation with the “Sultan Suleiman Shah Division – Al-Amshat” militia and their participation in the Nagorno Karabakh war by order of Turkey alongside the Azerbaijani forces in exchange for salaries and expenses for the injured. Bonds for the dead that were looted by the leader of the squad, Muhammad Jasim “Abu Amsha” and did not pay them, in another admission that the “Syrian National Army” militias are working as mercenaries in Turkey.

The people of Afrin, wherever they are, reject religious fanaticism and are open to other societies, while their area is being targeted with the spread of a new militant religious-Ottoman culture, and the radical militias that embraced the remnants of al-Qaeda are empowered with Turkish protection.

10/04/2021 AD

Media Office – Afrin

The Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria (Yekiti)

Pictures:

– The town of “Kafr Safra”.

– The deceased child, “Murad Mazloum Muhammad.”

– The martyr “Mahmoud Ahmed son of Ahmed.”

– The tractors detained in the villages of “Gamruk and Arab Sheikho”.

Translated by Europe’s Organization of Democratic Unity Kurdish Party in Syria (Yekîti)