afrinpost– Exclusive
Two elderly Kurdish civilians, known as “Mamo Mamo” and “Yahya Shakri Hamo” have tragically passed away after enduring prolonged attacks by Turkish-affiliated militias in the Afrin region.
Yahya Shakri Hamo, also known as Abu Shukri, aged 64, passed away approximately 20 days after being beaten and tortured. The attack occurred after he received a financial remittance of $300 from his son in Lebanon.
On March 27, 2023, Hamo had just returned to his earthquake-damaged home when he was shocked to find armed militants ransacking and vandalizing his house. They viciously attacked him and his wife, Sultanah, who tried to stop them, resulting in her arm being broken. The assailants attempted to suffocate her with a blanket, but her screams attracted the neighbors, and the assailants fled, taking the remittance money with them. Hamo was left bedridden and his health deteriorated over time, leading to his coma and eventual death on April 14, 2023.
This is not the first time Yahya Shakri Hamo has been targeted. Six months ago, he was brutally beaten by armed militants from the “Faylaq al-Sham” and taken to his own pomegranate orchard after returning from Afrin city with another remittance from his son. The militants stole the remittance money and other personal belongings from him.
Another elderly civilian, Mamo Mamo, aged 87, from the village of Çûpana in the Rajo sub-district, passed away on April 17, 2023. He and his daughter, Zainat Mamo, aged 42, were subjected to an armed robbery in their home in Çupana village on December 6, 2021, by a group of militants affiliated with the “Hamza Division” based in the nearby village of Goliya\Kulian.
The assailants brutally beat Zainat, inflicting punches and kicks on her, and then stole a quantity of gold jewelry (about 150 grams) before leaving the village, which is under the control of the notorious “Jaysh al-Mujahideen” militia led by a person known as “Abu al-Walid”.
Mamo had previously been targeted in a similar attack in July 2018, during which he was assaulted by militants and robbed of his belongings. These incidents highlight the ongoing danger and violence faced by elderly Kurdish civilians in the occupied Afrin region at the hands of Turkish-affiliated militias.
