afrinpost– Exclusive
In an exclusive report by Syrian journalist Alaa Younis, a resident of a building in Afrin city recounts the devastating moments of the recent earthquake that struck the area on February 6. However, the report includes false claims made by a person named “Bashar Salami Abu Ali” who alleged ownership of the damaged apartment he lived in.
Further investigation by afrinpost revealed that Abu Ali, a member of the “Ahrar al-Sharqiya\ Eastern Free Brigade” militia, forcefully expelled the original Kurdish owner, “Arif Khalo,” and took over the apartment.
According to sources, the building in question was constructed by contractor Anwar Hamdoush Abu Rudi and originally had two floors and a ground floor-basement comprising nine residential apartments. However, after the Turkish army took control of Afrin city in March 2018, the militia, through an influential contractor with the local council, added two more floors, bringing the total number of residential apartments to 15. As a result, the entire building was rendered uninhabitable by the recent earthquake.
The local council, which is affiliated with the Turkish authorities in Afrin, formed a committee to identify buildings at risk of collapse or those with cracks on February 8. At the time, the committee identified 448 such buildings in Afrin city alone, in northern Syria.
