afrinpost– Exclusive
In the occupied region of Afrin, militia leader Mohammad Al-Jasem, also known as Abu Amsha, has been unrelenting in his pursuit to impose taxes on Kurdish residents of villages under his control. Abu Amsha has been imposing a hefty financial levy of $1,000 on Kurdish families returning to their villages in the Şiyê\Sheikh Hadid area of Afrin.
According to our correspondent, Abu Amsha monthly demands a list of recently returned families from the Civil Registry at the local council in the town of Sheikh al-Hadid. Subsequently, he imposes a $1,000 levy on each family.
Since the beginning of 2023, approximately 69 Kurdish families have returned to the town of Sheikh al-Hadid and its surrounding villages, as reported by exclusive sources for afrinpost.
Moreover, our correspondent has reported that the Amsha militia forcibly seized two houses belonging to a Kurdish citizen in the village of Mirkhan, located in the Mobata sub-district. After two IDP families vacated these homes, the Amsha militia imposed a $1,000 levy on the Kurdish citizen.
The Kurdish citizen, who resides in the city of Afrin, was shocked by the seizure of his houses by the Amshat militia. He was forced to pay $500 for each house to regain ownership.
Fearful of retaliation and fabricated charges, the Kurdish residents of Afrin hesitate to file complaints against the violations and abuses committed by the so-called al-Amshat militia and its leader. These fabricated charges usually revolve around their previous dealings with the former Autonomous Administration in Afrin.
It is worth noting that al-Amshat militia imposed a $50 levy on IDPs in the village of Qantara in the Mobata/Ma’batli sub-district. This levy targeted individuals who had received financial assistance from the “Banafsaj” organization, which distributed aid on May 22, 2023, amounting to $150. The militia obtained the list of names in collusion with the village headman, threatening arrest or expulsion from the village.
