AFRINPOST- Exclusive
Witnesses from Afrin/Rojava have confirmed that settlers, who are predominantly the families of armed Islamic militias affiliated with the Turkish occupation, continue to cut trees in Afrin constantly since the military occupation of the Kurdish region.
In this context, the witnesses told AFRINPOST that approximately a quarter of the area planted with forest trees between the villages of Basute/Basûtê and Burj Abdalo/Bircê in Afrin was cut off by settlers and militants of Islamic militias.
The settlers cut down trees and sell their firewood at low prices in other areas occupied by Islamic militias such as Idlib, Azaz, Mare’, Jerarabulus and others.
Forestry has never been cut off in the era of Kurdish self-administration, where self-management has preserved and nurtured forest wealth and provided the services it can by appointing guards to prevent abusers from cutting them.
Cutting trees in Afrin comes as revenging from the Kurdish people, that the occupying forces seeking revenge against Afrin, which was a thorn in the throat of the stalkers during the years from 2011 to 2018, where they were the only rejectionist of the Turkish project.
In addition, the settlers and militants of the Turkish occupation continue cutting olive trees, especially those belonging to the displaced people of the Afrin.
