Afrinpost
Ibrahim Hussein Hamada, an engineer at the Railways Directorate in Aleppo, told North Press that the Midan Akbes station has a great symbolism, not only because it includes one of the most important and oldest train stations in the Middle East and the most beautiful in terms of location and architectural style, but in terms of geographical location. As Midan Akbes and its station are considered the farthest point in northern Syria.
Hamada added that “the sabotage that affected the station’s features was disastrous and shocking, and this is the responsibility of Turkey and the militias operating under its command.”
He pointed to the great historical and touristic importance of the station, by saying: “From this station, travelers were heading west towards Europe and east towards Iran and Azerbaijan, not to mention the stunning natural scenes surrounding the station, whether the Black River or the charming Raju Mountains or even the Amanus Mountains in the Iskenderun district, who is clearly seen from the station’s location.
The agency notes that many of the station’s features and infrastructure have been destroyed and removed, while Islamic militias affiliated with the Turkish occupation and the Muslim Brotherhood have turned some of their buildings into prisons, containing hundreds of kidnapees from the Afrin region.
Rashid Mustafa of the people of Midan Akbes , who lives in the city of Aleppo, told the agency, “The beauty that you were seeing in the spaces of the station and in the old train trailers and buildings specifically built in the German style turned into terror for civilians in Afrin, due to these buildings that turned into prisons and torture rooms It suffers from a lot of assault, violation and injustice of Turkish intelligence and its Islamic armed factions.
Mustafa added, “Many of my relatives inside these detention centers conveyed to us the bad and harsh conditions that they were experiencing inside the train station buildings in Midan Akbes .”
Meanwhile, a woman who identified herself as “Na’ima Ali” from the Midan Akbes said: “The railway line connecting Midan Akbes and Raju has been mostly dismantled by armed factions who looted everything that could be sold and stolen from the station and the railway.”
She added that she witnessed with the residents of her area, a number of fires, which escalated from the buildings of the station, while appealing to the world to “protect this distinguished cultural heritage.”
