afrinpost– Exclusive
Establishing its policy of demographic change aimed at eradicating the Kurdish identity of the occupied region of Afrin, the Turkish authorities have initiated a new settlement project in the Mobata/Ma’batli district of occupied Afrin.
According to a report published yesterday by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, the local council in the town of Mobata, under Turkish supervision, recently carried out land settlement on a portion of private properties “farmlands” belonging to the residents of the village. They demolished a room belonging to a local named Hassan Khouja and removed some of the tents used by the displaced people, in preparation for the construction of a new settlement village.
The local council of Mobata is collaborating with the Sultan Suleiman/Al-Amshat militia, which controls the town under the leadership of a figure named Mohammed Al-Jasim Abu Amsha, who is supported directly by the Turkish forces.
The total area of these lands is estimated at 4.25 hectares, where approximately 150 tents were previously erected for the displaced people. The source of funding, implementation, and other details of the project have yet to be revealed.
Earlier on April 16, 2023, the armed members of the Sultan Murad militia conducted excavations and looted artifacts in a small hill located near the intersection of the town of Mobata/Ma’batli, using heavy machinery (excavators). This hill is situated on the road connecting the city of Afrin and the Rajo sub-district.
In a report by American analyst Thor Redcrow, published by the Kurdish Studies Center on April 4th of this year, it was revealed that the Turkish forces have looted 35 historical hills in various parts of Afrin. Furthermore, they have desecrated graves in search of gold and precious items, conducted illegal archaeological excavations, and smuggled more than 16,000 historical artifacts, which were subsequently sold to museums in Turkey.
