Afrinpost– Exclusive
Forests, bushes, and fruit trees, especially olives, are logged and large-scale deforestation is carried out in occupied Afrin, by the Turkish-backed militias, as well as the IDPs.
“Revolution Until Last Tree” hashtag was circulated on social media pages, expressing condemnation of the illegal logging operations and the greedy trade in wood carried out by the Turkish-backed militias in occupied Afrin. This came after the acceleration of logging operations in Sharan / Shara district.
The process of cutting trees is supervised by members of the Turkish-supported “Shuhada al-Safira Brigade” militia of the “Sultan Murad” militia. Social media pages and local websites circulated videos and pictures showing “National Army” armed men savagely cutting down trees in the bushes of Shara district in the vicinity of Maidanki Lake. The pictures showed the huge change that occurred in the forests in Afrin region, which turned into barren deserts devoid of trees.
Logging operations by Turkish-backed militias are repeated in various occupied areas in Serêkaniyê / Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad, intensively in the villages of Afrin, where olive trees are the hardest hit by in additon to various fruit trees such as pomegranate, walnut, almond, pistachio, apricot, and other perennial trees.
The firewood operations are being carried out with the aim of firewood and charcoal trading, as well as establishing residential settlement communities, where the firewood operations continue despite the numerous reports organized by media, human rights activists and human rights organizations.
